


After Hours

by Mademoiselle_Arel



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Most of you have probably read it anyway, Teachers AU, Transferring this story from FF.net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 00:33:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 139,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11024844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mademoiselle_Arel/pseuds/Mademoiselle_Arel
Summary: High School AU; Robin Locksley and Regina Mills are teachers in a high school and they absolutely dislike each other. Could they be any more obvious to the students? Outlaw Queen





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Most of you have probably read this story on FF.net where it truly thrived. I am now uploading it up here too, cause I have recently noticed how many people use AO3 only! Those of you who haven't read it yet, enjoy!

When you turned right from the Cottage Street, there was a big hill that led down to the houses of Foxridge, and one who got around well in town knew that by going through those small, modest and yet beautiful houses (which were sans default decorated wonderfully each Christmas) you could find a shortcut that led you straight to the infamous high school, the only high school of Bar Harbour, Maine. This hill, the Orchard Road as the townsfolk called it, was so steep that it was almost impossible to use it throughout winter since the icing on the road was enough to make a car break down beyond repair, not to mention the dangers of such an accident might cause to the little houses situated along the hillside.

Living here almost all his life and having attended the little high school himself, Robin Locksley knew this road pretty well and wasn't afraid to use it every time he saw fit since he was almost always late every morning. This was due to the small fault in his alarm clock which had caused by a clumsy accident one morning when he woke up from the wrong side of bed. Since then, the devious little device decided to work whenever it pleased, causing Robin to wake up 15 to 25 minutes late each morning and rush to school in a hurry in order not to keep anyone waiting. This had almost always resulted in a mismatch of his tie to his shirt, which the principal threw judging looks at every time they passed by each other in the hallway.

So it was an ordinary morning in which the bloody alarm clock decided to cause another disaster in Robin's life, and he had found himself driving down the dangerous Orchard Road since the winter was approaching and the icing on the hill was forthcoming. However this was the last of his worries as he checked his watch left to him by his grandfather (apparently he had used it every day back when he was living in Bristol before the whole family moved to London) and made the turn from Cottage Street.

It wasn't long before he entered into the school's driveway and was met with series of cars and reckless driving thanks to the student drivers. However recognizing his grey Mazda Sedan, the students stopped their hopeless craze of trying to find a parking stop and let him pass with honks and waves to which he replied with a wide grin and a little, 'Good Morning,' which went unheard by everyone since none of his windows were open. But it was a silly habit, saluting everyone he knew along the way, and with that, he drove down to his reserved parking spot with a low hum escaping his lips.

He parked his car next to chemistry teacher Gary Wilkins' white Prius and turned off the radio which he didn't even notice he had on until the last minute. Reaching down to the passenger seat, he brushed off a few crumbs left from the yesterday's breakfast bagel and grabbed his books and files. Balancing the papers on one knee, he reached over to the glove compartment and took out his favorite reusable metal water bottle. The huge bumper sticker decorated the bottle and on it was written with swirly letters "I love Arizona". Holding the water bottle in his hand, he clumsily took the keys out of the ignition and tried to leave his car while trying to keep his belongings off the ground. He had almost let the yesterday's coffee spill to his non-graded test but he saved the precious papers at the last second and managed leave his car without any incidents.

It was a cold yet sunny day as he tightened his dark red scarf around his neck and made his way towards the school, papers in one hand and his water bottle on the other.

"Good Morning, Mr. Locksley!"

He recognized the voice before he even turned to look at the source, and when he did, his lips curved into a broad smile.

"Morning, David." He replied with a half wave of his bottle, and he watched as the young sophomore waved back in return. Taking his girlfriend Mary Margaret by the hand, he led her to the entrance.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that almost every student in the school loved their English teacher. Anyone who managed to get into his class was considered lucky, and the amount of students who failed from his class during his entire career did not pass the number ten. It wasn't because he was an easy teacher, but it was because he was a good one.

He hurried into the building, his mind going through the topics he was supposed to be teaching today, and he half wondered if his class had read the first couple of pages of Oedipus Rex which he had assigned them almost a week ago. They probably hadn't, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the fact.

Making a turn, he walked down the hallway towards his classroom and he noticed her only when he raised his eyes from the ground. The Principal.

She was heading somewhere as usual, and over the past couple of months he had known her, he had realized she was always heading somewhere, never wandering around aimlessly. The early hours of the morning hadn't been kind to her but she had an excellent job covering it with her impeccable make up. Her clothes were the kind Robin was used to seeing her in every morning, a black dress suit with matching heels.

To the outsider, she looked like an ordinary teacher.

To Robin however, her looks told a whole different story: that she did not want to be disturbed.

But that didn't stop him.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mills!" he threw a cheerful salute to her way and noticed the slight faltering in her step with an amused grin.

"For the hundredth time, it's Miss!" She corrected him, voice as cold as ice.

He knew that. She knew that he knew that, which annoyed her even further as she walked past him without returning his morning greeting. She wasn't going to let him get to her this time. However before he was out of her sight, her eyes traveled down to his shirt.

A brown button down and a pink tie with purple stripes? Well, that was a new low.

When her eyes were back on his again, she gave them a What-kind-of-an-outfit-is-that look and with that, she turned around the corner.

Robin had been teaching in that high school for years, having graduated from there himself after moving to America from England. His family had gone back a long time ago, and he still visited them time-to-time. This place, nevertheless, had become his home even though his melodic British accent had stayed put.

Regina Mills was a different story compared to Robin. She had grown up in Boston, and she had transferred here at the beginning of this term, as a replacement to the previous principal, Leopold King, who had been fired due to his mismanagement. To Robin, she was a complete mystery he was unable to solve. Actually, he wasn't even in the perimeter to solve it since she refused to let anyone get close to her. She was cold, stern, and as harsh as ever, and he knew most of the students were afraid of her.

However, Robin was intrigued though he didn't have any intention nor a plan to even try and get close to her since he knew it was useless. So now, he satisfied himself with daily bantering and watched the fire ignite in her eyes at his annoying and far too relaxed remarks.

It wasn't long before he was in his classroom and scanning the tests (not quite grading them since he was saving them for tonight accompanied with a glass of wine –make that two glasses if it was especially a hard day). The room was fit for him and obviously decorated by him since he had been given the same class room to use for the past five or more years. Various posters and papers were hung on the walls, most of them posters from previous years' spring productions and plays. His favorite play's poster which he had seen in a local theater a year ago, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream was one of the biggest posters and was hung on the wall across the door. Next to it was a book cover of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Right next to the white board (which still had red marble star decorations hung on it and left there from previous Christmas because he had decided that he liked it) was pinned the national map of Macedonia because he had visited there one summer long time ago and wanted to keep a reminder of it, besides a good inspiration for his students to visit abroad and get to know new culture.

His desk, which was located at the corner of the room, might have seemed like a chaos to an outsider, but he knew the location of each and every item on it. There were various books scattered alongside it and a little snow globe was placed carefully next to the computer. Post-its of a million of colors were on the computer. So many, in fact, that it was occasionally hard to see the contents of the screen. His mouse pad had a mascot of Harlequins on it; a small reference to his favorite Rugby team, and another coffee mug stood proudly right next to his mouse pad with a Shakespearean quote embedded on it. It was a gift from one of his students, and it had always been his favorite.

Upon hearing the distant sound of shouting and footsteps, he looked up to see the students slowly beginning to come into his classroom for their first period of English Honors 10. Their cheerful voices brought a smile to his lips, and he greeted them with an equally happy voice. He saw a couple of guys groan in annoyance at the fact that they were there at 7.15 in the morning, and Mr. Locksley was as cheerful as ever. How could the guy do it?

David came in with his girlfriend, whose classes he had in-sync with, and they sat down to the closest desks to the whiteboard. Mary Margaret, the straight A student, gave him an innocent wave. Robin loved that girl like a daughter.

Their quiet morning was interrupted by the annoying screech of the speakers, and soon an exaggerated and loud British voice filled the room.

"Good morning everyone, and here are your morning announcements!"

Everyone knew Killian Jones had been living in the states for years now, but he wasn't afraid to mock his heritage as loud as possible and annoy every single teacher in the building when he was privileged to do the morning announcements. But after all, he was one of the popular kids, and it didn't come as a surprise to Robin.

"-The football practice after school is cancelled for the day, and Mr. Scarlet _politely_ suggests the clean usage of the changing rooms at the gym. Otherwise, whoever responsible of the next toilet incident will be detained.. heavily. Yes, I'm talking to you David Nolan!" finished Killian cheerfully.

The whole class laughed out loud, and everyone turned to stare at David who looked up to the source of the voice with wide eyes and open mouth.

"I didn't-.." he started and his girlfriend put a supportive and understanding hand on his arm.

Killian continued his mockery. "Because we all know who stays for extra practice in those changing room, am I right ladies?"

However he was interrupted by another loud and screeching noise of the speakers and everyone groaned in annoyance.

Getting a hold of what was actually going on; Robin raised his head from his tests in amusement and listened to the turn of events.

There was silence at the other end of the speaker before they heard sounds from the background and unmistakable voice of the principle who, they all guessed, had probably caught Killian in action and was putting an end to the ridicule. It wasn't long before they heard her overly feminine, serious and yet awkward voice.

"Hello… yes, this is Principal Mills."

Upon hearing her voice the students groaned in annoyance, and Robin looked back down to his tests with a smirk playing his lips.

"Please remember to bring your permission slips for this weekend's fieldtrip to Waterville, and keep in mind that they will not be accepted after Thursday afternoon."

The microphone switched hands again but not before everyone heard her voice once more in the background, "Just the Pledge of Allegiance this time Killian, thank you."

With a groan Killian got back to the microphone and did what he was told.

#

"Mr. Locksley! Did you get a chance to take a look at our tests?"

Mary Margaret's voice echoed in the classroom and Robin turned to look at her with a smile.

"I'm working on it."

"It's just that I have Miss Mills' AP Physics class after this, and I need to know how much do I have to study for the finals depending on my grade. Because she gave us an assignment, and I need to plan accordingly." The pixie haired girl finished articulately, which even surprised Robin.

From the desk behind her, Killian called her a 'Nerd' which everyone chose to ignore.

"Mary Margaret, the assignment Miss Mills gave you can't be important than this classes' final." He frowned.

"But sir, she just said-…"

"I don't care what she said. I will read the tests tomorrow, not today." He finished with a tone that didn't give Mary Margaret a chance to continue.

"Dismissed."

With that the class left their seats with various sighs, and he watched them leave his classroom.

This was the third incident like this.

Just last week the student told him that he couldn't type up his essay because an AP Physics' assignment was due the same day, and as the student tried to apologize hopelessly, Robin was picturing the principal's face in his mind.

And the week before a girl failed to show up for his class because she was in the library studying for _her_ class. This was getting out of hand. Yes, AP classes were important. He wasn't denying that, but it was beginning to feel like she was interfering with his class on purpose and that was something he could not tolerate.

Yes. She had only been in this school for a couple of months, and yes, he did not know about her ways of teaching. But, was this on purpose? They might have had their differences, and small arguments here and there, and she knew that her class was right after his but a small optimist part of him still argued that she wouldn't interfere with his job on purpose, could she?

And what if she did? She was a beautiful woman; Robin had noticed that the first time she introduced herself to the staff. As a matter of fact the first thing he had noticed about her was her full lips painted with a dark shade of lipstick. He had instantly felt drawn to them, but when she had opened her mouth to speak, he had snapped out of his thoughts and tried to concentrate on her eyes, which made the task in hand even harder. Pun intended.

His thoughts were interrupted however when he heard the distinct sound of high heels clacking on the marble floor and he swore he could recognize that rhythm anywhere. Putting on his reading glasses, he quickly occupied himself with the papers in front of him and pretended not to notice her coming in.

He also pretended not to notice his heart beating faster.

Regina Mills walked into the damned classroom with such force that whoever was standing in the hallway felt the wind on their faces. Walking past the desks with difficulty (which were scattered around no matter how many times she had warned him), she finally reached to her star teacher's desk, and she only got his attention when she threw a book, the book on his desk.

Robin jumped when the object landed in front of him, knocking down his snow globe but thank God not breaking it. His glasses resting peacefully on his nose fell to his lap. Before he reached for the book, he fixed his globe back to its place first. He eyed the pages before him then his gaze turned to the fire in the principal's eyes.

"Can I help you?"

"What the hell is this?" she snapped, loud enough that he winced.

"I believe it's called a book?"

"Do not play with me right now, Locksley." She yelled one more time, and he took this as his cue to finally understand what she was talking about.

His fingers reached for the book now lying backwards on his desk and he picked it up to read the title; "Twelfth Night".

"Shakespeare?" he questioned one more time although now he had an idea of what she was talking about and as a matter of fact he was a bit scared.

"A play!" she yelled one more time and he couldn't help but wince again.

"Yes, that's generally what he's known for."

"Robin, if you play dumb one more time so help me God-"

"Fine, fine." The first name basis meant that this time he was actually in trouble. "It's a play I wanted to do for this year's spring production." He leaned back and confessed, carefully eyeing her up from where he was sitting.

"We discussed this a million times, and I said no! The school will not have a spring production this year, we don't have the budget for it. And yet you go and hand out these… these books to students!"

"I didn't hand them out, Emma asked me for it, said she wanted to read it." He innocently tried to defend his case.

"A student asks for the exact same play you were planning on staging this year? And you expect me to believe it?" she crossed her arms in front of her and eyed him down carefully.

"Yes?"

"I told you, we don't have the budget for it. And that is the end of the discussion." Uncrossing her arms she turned away from him. The good thing about being the boss was that you never had to explain yourself. However before she took even one step, his voice coming from behind interrupted her.

"But we, by some miracle, have the budget for a science fair?"

"Excuse me?" she turned back, raising her eyebrows at the audacity.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Robin stood up, raising his voice. "This is the second science fair we're having this year, and somehow, we always end up finding a budget for that!"

"That's different, that's science." Her eyes widened. How could he?

"Science is not better than literature, they are completely different branches!"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Is that why you were sabotaging my classes then?" he crossed her arms and eyed her with such a stoic expression that she couldn't help but avoid her eyes for a second before her gaze landed back on his piercing blue orbs.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, sucking in a breath.

"You give assignments right before my finals, you purposely instruct your students not to attend my classes to study for yours. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here Mrs. Mills."

"It's Miss!"

"Yes and keep reminding yourself that…" he gave her a one last smirk before sitting back down and grabbing his pencil. He located his glasses and put them one, expecting her to leave his room but of course it wasn't that easy, it had never been that easy.

"Listen up Locksley…" Regina came closer to him and slowly placed her hands on his desk so now she was leaning over his desk. He looked up from his glasses and when they made eye contact, he realized how close she actually was and his lips parted involuntarily. "You're way over the line. Let me remind you, this is still my school and you can't do as you please."

"Neither can you." He managed to reply.

"I'm merely acting according to the regulations."

"You're manipulating the facts." He accused her.

"And you're getting on my nerves." her eyebrows were drawn together and he could sense the change in her breathing. It only pleased him.

"Too bad…" he leaned back into his chair with a smile.

The only thing he got in return was scowl, and she finally stood straight up before turning to leave the room. But she was stopped again, not by him this time, but by a vicious idea popping into her head.` her lips curved into a wicked smile. She spoke, her back still turned to him.

"You're going to chaperon the kids to Waterville this weekend." She stated and slowly turned around, crossing her arms in front of her with a satisfied grin.

His reaction was everything she could ever hope for. The pen in his hand dropped to the desk with a loud thump and he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Me? Why? What happened to Mr. Scarlet?" he couldn't help but question, still refusing to believe what she just said.

"Caught a terrible flu I'm afraid, can't make it." She replied nonchalantly.

"What? When?"

"5 seconds ago." She once again answered with a smirk.

Robin had always been a calm guy. However this time he felt the anger rising in him. So taking a deep breath, he tried to reason with her, still under the illusion that he somehow had the ability to change her mind.

"I'm an English teacher for God's sake, that's a field trip for Earth Science. You can't do this." He half yelled, looking at her in question.

"Already have." She was not changing her mind. With a smirk playing her lips, she began to walk back.

"The trip is for the whole weekend, Regina. It's a camping trip!" standing up, he tried his chance one last time.

Stopping in her tracks, she turned back before approaching to his desk again.

"That's Miss Mills to you…" she replied and gazed deep into his eyes. "Don't forget to pack for the weather, I heard it was going to get real cold."

With that she left and the room fell into a silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Killian Jones desperately tried to fan away the smoke that was currently radiating off his body as he made his way back into the school building. It was a chilly afternoon but that hadn't stopped him from going outside for a quick smoke even though it was strictly forbidden by the school and of course by his parents. It was stupid of them to forbid it anyway. What harm could one joint do to a guy like himself? He did not understand what made everyone so furious about it.

Quietly laughing to himself, he turned right once he went through the big entrance door. No one had caught him even though the school had a strict policy about these things.

The principal sure as hell was a stupid wo-

"Mr. Jones!"

He stopped dead in his tracks and his chuckle died in his throat.

"Miss Mills?" he turned around slowly only to face with dark brown eyes of the said principal he was just quietly mocking in his head. He swallowed once and avoided eye contact.

"Where are you coming from?" crossing her arms, she eyed the boy up and down. He was not getting away with this one.

"Apes but the Catholics say otherwise."

His perfectly delivered joke accompanied with a broad smirk only earned a growl from the lady in front of him so he found himself switching his gaze back to the floor with a desperate look.

"Try again Killian."

"I was playing football?" he tried one more time.

"By yourself?"

There was a pause before he answered. "Yeah?"

What she did next both scared and aroused Killian much to his dismay. Well, it wasn't his fault that Regina Mills was a beautiful woman.

Her eyes suddenly widened with realization and she bent forward towards the boy. Her face inched closer to him and Killian gasped in fright. She stayed there for a second and if it was any other girl Killian would have kissed her. But instead he stood glued to the ground as the woman in front of him paused and took a big sniff.

"You've been smoking." It wasn't a question.

He felt a shiver go down his spine as he gulped visibly. There was no way he could have been caught and yet here they were. His mind desperately tried to think of exit ways but the pressure caused by her intense stare on him made it harder to think.

"I.. uhm.. Miss Mills-…" he started but nothing was coming out.

She stood up straight and waited for him to blurt out an excuse. The boy was really trying, she'd give him that but this was something inexcusable and frankly she had places to be. Suddenly her fingers reached forward and grabbed his ear and as she heard him let out a sharp 'ah', she pulled.

Killian felt the sudden pain coming from his ear and the principal's fingers tightened around it, making the sharp ache even worse to withstand. His own hand reached out to hers on his ear; a desperate attempt to get her to stop. Failing, he let out another cry instead.

The woman was strong.

"What did I tell you about smoking in my school?" she raised her voice as she pulled harder, making him unable to respond. "What did I tell you?" she repeated her question.

"I.. ah! You said.. aaah! Miss Mills please!"

That was going to leave a mark in the morning.

Just as he thought he was losing the damn ear, a soft hand appeared on his shoulder and the principal's finger was instantly pulled away from his ear like she had been caught red handed. He sighed in relief and immediately placed a hand on the damaged area, desperately trying to stop the pulsating pain. When he looked up, he was faced with blue eyes and a warm smile.

Thank God.

"What's going on here?" Robin directed his attention to the principal as he raised his eyebrows in question.

"Killian here was caught smoking." She explained; half hoping that he would see her point. But a part of her knew that he was there to cause more problems.

"Is that so, Killian?" Robin's eyes turned to the boy next to him and his hand on his shoulder tightened a bit, indicating that he was expecting an answer.

"No!" the young man quickly replied but when Regina threw him another deadly look, he changed his answer. "Maybe.."

"And is that how we deal with the students who make mistakes?" now this was directed towards the principal herself and she found herself taken aback by his sudden accusation. How dare he question her teaching?

"Are you questioning how I punish those who misbehave?"

"Since when violence is in the school code?" he met her eyes.

"This is not violence, this is discipline!"

Killian's blue eyes turned from one adult to the other as he watched the two, in complete bewilderment, go at each other. He was taking Mr. Locksley's English class and it was an understatement to say he was good at it. He was a brilliant student when it came to that man's class and Killian secretly adored Mr. Locksley. However, taking Miss Mills' classes were a job for the insane; insane people like Mary Margaret. He once heard only four people out of twenty passed a test she handed out. It was like a nightmare and Killian was glad to see Miss Mills only outside the classroom when she got something to yell at him about which was not rare at all.

Killian however, had not witnessed a conversation between Mr. Locksley and Miss Mills before and now come to think of it, he hadn't even seen them in the same room before. He couldn't help but think this wasn't because of coincidence but because they were avoiding each other on purpose. And now looking at the two, one could see why.

They absolutely disliked each other, he thought as he watched the principal crossed her arms in a defensive state and Mr. Locksley took a step closer towards her in order to get his point across. However it obviously wasn't working and he watched in horror as they continued to yell at each other in fury.

It was a perfect time so ever so subtly Killian took a few steps and ran away from the crime scene.

Once he made it to the cafeteria, he spotted his friends and sat down next to them.

"You got caught, didn't you?" Emma was the first to speak among the group. The blonde, who had been Killian's girlfriend on and off, was giving him knowing looks across the table and he couldn't help but wink at her.

"Of course not, love." He replied with a proud grin.

"Yes, he did. Look at his ear." David blurted out from next to his girlfriend and everyone turned to look at Killian's now reddened ear before he quickly covered it with his hand.

"Don't tell me she pulled your ear like a toddler." Gold quietly remarked from next to him with a grin.

"That woman's crazy, I swear." Killian quickly defended himself. "But Mr. Locksley came in the last minute and now they're arguing somewhere in the hallway."

"Mr. Locksley came to the rescue? I'm not surprised, that guy's awesome!" David said with excitement.

"Yes we get it; you're the teacher's pet. But really though, ever since she became the principal it's like she declared martial law around here."

"I agree, and from what I hear she's alone. Never married, never had kids. It's so weird." Ruby remarked from next to Emma who in return rolled her eyes at the red head's gossip.

"I'm not surprised." Killian agreed. "She really needs to get laid or something."

Upon his remark, Emma threw a book at him and Killian raised his hands the last minute to keep the book from hitting his head. The girl had a good aim, he'd give her that.

"What?" he laughed.

"Don't be rude."

"Why not? And looks like Mr. Locksley's the man for the job." He grinned and all the eyes around the table turned to look at him in surprise.

"Miss Mills and Mr. Locksley's dating? No way!" Mary Margaret said, tightening her grip on David's arm.

"I didn't say that. But he's alone, she's alone. I don't see why not." Killian shrugged.

"I doubt it. I was passing by Mr. Locksley's room the other day and I heard the two arguing. There's one thing I'm sure, they really hate each other." Gold, who was a year older than the group remarked wisely.

"I wonder why." Ruby replied sarcastically.

"Guys, I'm not saying that they're _dating_." Killian spoke again, making a mocked quotation sign with his fingers. "I'm saying why not. Why not… I don't know…. Get them to date?"

Upon hearing his words, practically the whole group rolled their eyes and everyone turned back to their lunches or books placed in front of them, knowing that this conversation was going towards a stupid direction.

"Yeah right, we don't live in a movie, Killian." David was the only one to answer him.

"I'm serious!"

"And how are you going to do that?" Gold was semi intrigued by the idea.

"I don't know yet, I'll figure it out."

"Mr. Locksley would never look at her, he's too cool." Ruby stated with dreamy eyes. And the whole group knew she was right. Miss Mills and Mr. Locksley belonged to different worlds and it was no way possible for them to have a decent conversation without a disagreement let out dating.

"And she's… too uptight." Emma agreed, eyeing Killian.

"Are you kidding me? Did no one see the tension between them?" Killian tried.

"Maybe…" Gold said, scratching his head.

"Exactly, I'll work something out."

"This plan is as doomed as your grades." Emma concluded the conversation and took a bite out of her sandwich.

#

Bringing the brim to his lips, Robin took a big sip from his wine and closed his eyes immediately after to savor to taste. Leaning back, he let his worries and his exhaustion fade away as the taste of alcohol filled his insides instead.

Sighing in content, he grabbed his glass and took the bottle before turning off the lights and heading back to his dining room. The papers weren't going to grade themselves after all.

It was a rough draft of a paper he had asked for his students to write and based on some of the papers he had scanned earlier, he could say they were pretty rough. It brought a smile to his lips as he guessed which of his students' papers were actually rough drafts and which were just… well rough.

He sat back down in front of his lap top, the papers staring at him from the corner of his eye but taking another sip, he opened his browser. He was definitely going to check his e-mails first, nothing else… Just e-mails.

There was one from his mother; he smiled at that before opening to read it. It was another one like last week's where she had instructed him that it's been a long time since his last visit and no matter how much he loved that damned country, he should love his parents more. He chuckled at that and made a note to write back to her later as his eyes scanned the page for more.

There was another one, from the principal who he totally was NOT thinking about just 10 minutes ago. His cursor went to it in a hurry and his curious eyes skimmed the mail.

It was to the whole staff.

And he hated himself for being excited that maybe; just maybe the e-mail was for him. Of course it wasn't, what was he thinking? Why would she send an e-mail just for him?

He focused back on the screen and grabbed his reading glasses from next to the laptop to pay even more attention to the short e-mail. When he read it through however, there was nothing but disappointment filling his chest. It was an e-mail reminding them of the field trip to Waterville that weekend, and the teachers who were supposed to be accompanying the kids. Like he didn't know that already…

However he read the names one more time, just in case she changed his mind and decided to remove him of the burden. But no, his name was there along with Belle French, the Biology teacher and Archie Hopper the Earth Sciences teacher. He still had no idea what his name was doing among all those teachers who were actually related to the subject but then he remembered his little fight, -well disagreement with the principal earlier and couldn't help but roll his eyes. She really was out for revenge.

He was supposed to be thinking about packing, hell he was supposed to be packing since he knew it was going to get real cold in Waterville that weekend but the only thing on his mind was that damn woman.

So his next move surprised him the most.

Securing his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and taking another sip from his expensive wine, he opened another tab and logged onto his rarely used Facebook account.

It had been ages since he actually checked his Facebook, he had never been a huge fan of the social media but for the task at hand, this was necessary.

The page opened and Robin was faced with over forty notifications, most of them being friend requests from his students. Since when they thought it was appropriate for them to add their English teacher on Facebook he didn't know but he found himself accepting a couple anyways with a chuckle. After all, he really did love his students.

But he wasn't letting himself get distracted. Taking a deep breath (and for some reason fearing to not get caught) he slowly typed the following words into the search engine: Regina Mills.

And at that point he really did hope his webcam was off and no one, and absolutely no one knew that he was actually about to stalk his boss on Facebook.

It didn't take long for him to find her profile, actually he was pretty surprised. He was guessing a woman like her wasn't interested in social media but he guessed when you came from another city, you had to stay in touch with your old friends; thus Facebook.

He clicked on her name and the information he got was limited, obviously since they weren't friends. The only mutual friends they had was that assistant principal and a kiss-ass Sidney Glass (Robin absolutely hated the guy since he found out that he had been passing on rumors to his students about him last year) and a couple of teachers he was barely friends with. So she hadn't added any students. Well, that didn't surprise him.

Once her actual profile page opened, his eyes immediately went to her profile picture and he clicked to enlarge it. It was a picture of her taken in her office while she sat in her desk and gave the camera a nice smile. It only made him laugh softly to himself knowing it was probably the first time he had seen the damn woman smile. He had to admit it was actually kind of cute. She had full lips and she knew how to wear a lipstick so a smile suited her face.

He hoped to God there were more pictures and when he found out that there was, his heart was doing jumping jacks in his chest as he leaned into the screen to get a closer look. The next picture was of her with friends in a bar, a bar? So she had a social life. His eyes quickly scanned the photo of her friends as he examined each and every one. She was with a small group of people, three guys and two girls. The girls were cute he had to admit but when his attention shifted from them to the others he saw that one of the guys, an annoyingly handsome one, had put a hand around her waist and Regina looked like… she was enjoying herself. One hand was holding a drink and another one was on the guy's shoulder and at that exact moment Robin was trying to find out why he was feeling jealousy of all things.

He checked if she had tagged him but she hadn't. Well, so much for finding out who he was. With a sigh he took another sip from his drink and clicked on the next picture.

This one was also with a group of people but this time it was with an older woman and a man, whom Robin guessed it to be her parents since there was one thing absent from the picture; her smile. With a chuckle he clicked next.

This time he was faced with a picture that was purely hers. There weren't any other people crowding the photo or it wasn't taken from a distance, no. This time it was just her face and it seemed like it was taken sans her knowledge since she seemed to be looking elsewhere with a faint smile on her lips. Robin couldn't tell where it was taken since the background wasn't very definite but he found himself leaning in closer and examining the photo a bit longer than appropriate. And come to think of it, there wasn't anything appropriate in what he was doing either.

She looked stunning… in every way.

Then he, once again, grabbed his glass and brought it to his lips before taking a long sip as he smiled and clicked next.

Woah… Was that a bikini?!

Just in the exact moment his phone decided to ring and he was focused to his monitor so much that he panicked and before he knew what he was doing his right hand accidently clicked the left button on his mouse…. Just as the cursor was on the word "Like".

What?

What!

Shit!

Did he just like the picture?

There was no taking it back; the damn notification had already gone to her. Or maybe he could dislike it but what if she had already seen it? What if she was already online right now?

There was only one way to describe how Robin was feeling at the moment, and that was cold sweats. He was completely and utterly screwed, and he was a complete and utter idiot.

And that phone was still ringing.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times; just to assess the reality of his situation, he stood up and walked over to his briefcase he had so carelessly thrown on the couch a few hours ago. He was still cringing internally. What the hell was his problem?

Fishing his phone out, his eyes widened when he saw the caller ID.

Regina Mills.

Had she seen it already? Was she calling to yell at him? Or to tell him how absolutely inappropriate his behavior was? Or even worse, was she going to fire him? He was lying if he said if his hands weren't shaking.

Maybe if he could just ignore the call…

But that would never work; she would only find him at school the next day. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Regina. I mean uhm.. Miss Mills.. Hello. Hi." He immediately cringed at his words.

There was silence on the other line before Regina spoke. "Uhm.. Hello Mr. Locksley."

"Hi so uh.. how are you? Everything good? I hope everything's been great cause uhm.. you know.. you know.. I hope they are. I mean everything.." He had to stop talking, right now!

"Are you drunk?" was the principal's only reply delivered with such a calm voice that it was almost eerie.

"Naah… Me? No. Not on a school night! Why? What makes you say that? Have you been on your computer?"

Unknown to him, Regina frowned on the other end of the line at his behavior. Her English Teacher always had his little quirks and she just hoped to God that this was one of them.

"Anyway…" she spoke, changing the subject. "Did you get my e-mail?"

"So you HAVE been online!" Robin spoke up and Regina had to keep the phone away from her ear in order to avoid deafness.

"Yes obviously I need internet to send an e-mail." She replied in a cold voice.

"So… Did you see anything unusual?" his heart was beating fast in his chest and he walked over to his laptop in order to double check that yes, he had indeed liked a photo of her in a bikini. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"Mr. Locksley I have no idea what you're talking about."

"But you know if you did see anything…"

"Mr. Locksley…" she tried to stop him with a sigh.

"Just even a little something.. you know.. out of the ordinary." At that point Robin was filling his empty glass with more wine, hoping that if he got drunk enough he might forget about his stupidity.

"Robin!" she suddenly yelled.

"Yes m'lady?"

"I was just calling to confirm if you will be attending the Waterville field trip this weekend. I know you weren't eager so I had to confirm." She finally explained, ignoring his last words. He was an English teacher after all; he had probably been reading a lot of Victorian literature or whatever the hell he usually did on a school's night. Not that she was curious…

"YES! Of course I will be attending, why wouldn't I? Waterville is my favorite city." He quickly answered.

"Waterville is a forest."

"My favorite forest, yes."

"Okay…" now she had gotten her answer but she still could tell that there was something off. "Are you sure that you're okay?" she couldn't help but ask despite herself.

"Absolutely!" Robin replied but spoke again after a brief pause. "Why? Are you worried about me?

"I'm worried about finding a sub if you can't show up for tomorrow's classes." She quickly replied, quicker than she'd like.

"Of course I will!"

"Good. That's good."

Now that was the end of the conversation. She had gotten what she wanted and he was almost sure that she hadn't seen what he did yet. That was the end and yet there was a pause on both lines as they waited for the other to say something.

"So…" Robin started, second glass of wine giving him more courage than he'd like.

"Goodnight, Mr. Locksley." But Regina was sober and she had hung up before he had a chance to say anything else.

Great, now he had screwed up both on the internet and over the phone.

With a sigh, he gulped down the contents of his glasses and walked back over to his couch. Sitting down, a bottle still in one hand and the glass in the other, he stopped and stared at the wall before him.

How embarrassing was this going to get?

He was just glad that even though he had to go to Waterville that weekend, he wasn't going to be embarrassing himself there any further since she will be absolutely and positively absent.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Friday afternoon, and everyone was getting to go home except, of course, for the students who were lucky, or unlucky, enough to take Mr. Hopper's Earth Science's class. For those students, a big yellow bus was parked right outside the building, and it was due to leave exactly an hour later the classes were over.

Much to the students' dismay, the field trip was going to last all weekend, and those attended were going to get extra credit. Thank God it wasn't mandatory or else Killian would get bored from the crowd and start messing with people just for fun. So when his mother signed his permission slip and forced him to hand it to the principal, he wasn't that mad at all. Besides he knew Emma was going…

And then a genius idea had popped into his head, and his eyes had landed on his mother with mischief filling them.

"Hey, I didn't know that you were coming."

When he heard a girl's voice, he looked up from next to the bus only to find Emma approaching him with David, Mary Margaret, Ruby and Gold behind (no one knew that guy's real name, everyone called him Gold since he got enrolled to the damn school).

"I'll do anything for extra credit, love," he replied, leaning against the bus as he watched his friends come closer. "And I didn't come empty-handed."

"What do you mean?" David asked as he checked his bag if he had packed that water bottle he had put on the kitchen counter that morning. They were going to be staying there for two nights but he didn't want to risk anything.

"Oh, you'll see," Killian replied with a wink.

"Whatever…" David replied and got on the bus followed by his girlfriend and Ruby. Gold also followed them in right before giving Killian an impressed look.

Emma, however, stayed behind.

"Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid." She crossed her arms and addressed him once they were alone.

"That depends on your definition of stupid."

"My definition is," she leaned a bit closer to whisper in his ear, "Anything that can get us in trouble."

"Don't worry love, this one won't trace back to us." With that, he took the blonde's hand before heading back into the bus.

#

Will Scarlet was the gym teacher, thus he was fit and ready to defend the kids just in case something happened in the woods, so Robin had no idea why he was picked to accompany the kids to the damn Waterville village, or forest, whatever the hell it was. Oh wait, he knew why; it was because the principal absolutely hated his guts. Not to mention the fiasco he had caused the other day by liking one of her photos on Facebook, a photo of her in a bikini! But she hadn't mentioned anything to him the whole day, and even though Robin still cringed internally when he thought about, he was almost sure that she either didn't see it or didn't care. So the thought relaxed him a little as he grabbed his duffel bag from underneath his desk. They were going to the woods after all.

Though Robin had always been fond of the forest, he hadn't actually been there many times; only when his father took him camping when he was still a kid back in Britain. There was one thing he could remember, though; he really did like the place. It made him feel a kind of peace he didn't feel in the city; a feeling he couldn't quite describe. So when he was locking up his classroom, there was a soft smile playing his lips.

It didn't take long for him to find the parked bus. He half jogged to the vehicle, not wanting to be late, and when he got inside, he came face to face with Archie Hopper.

Mr. Hopper was a nice guy, and he had been the Earth Science teacher as long as Robin could remember. There were times Robin had lunch with him, and he had always enjoyed their little conversations. Robin was interested in nature and Archie loved poetry, so it hadn't taken long for the two to become friends although some might describe their conversations rather boring. Robin didn't care. Mr. Hopper was a great guy, and he was glad that he was accompanying him on this trip.

Giving him a brief "Good Afternoon," accompanied with a smile, which Archie returned with cheer, Robin took his duffel bag and walked to the back of the bus. This was Archie's class after all so he was in charge, Robin was merely a chaperon.

Seeing him, he heard a couple of student's cheer, "Hey! Mr. Locksley!", and he chuckled in return before getting into the seat at the very back (only one available which made him quite content since he planned on reading his book the whole way). He put his duffel on the seat next to him and fished out his book, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It was a book he had read many times before, and now, it had the pleasure of accompanying him to this trip.

Leaning back into his seat and getting comfortable, since the trip was going to last at least two hours, he found his book mark and started reading.

When he read an entire two pages however, he realized that they were not moving.

Putting the book aside, he raised his head and checked to see what was going on. It didn't take long for him to spot the problem; he and Archie were the only ones in the bus and Belle French, the biology teacher, was missing.

Robin knew they were supposed to have at least one female teacher accompanying them to the trip, and he could tell Archie was about to send one of the students back into the building just to see what was keeping Miss French. Before long, Robin took his found out of his pocket and texted her.

' _We are waiting for you.'_ He texted her and buried his face back into his book. It didn't take long for him to get a reply back.

' _Didn't they tell you? I'm not coming.'_

Now, that was surprising.

If she wasn't coming then who was?

When he raised his head however he was faced with a completely different sight.

"Move your bag," the woman standing over him ordered with a voice so harsh that it was enough to break a glass.

His hands moved of their own accord as he unconsciously removed his bag and kicked it under his seat as his eyes kept fixated on her. Regina Mills? The principal? She was coming along?

Regina sat right next to him and put her bag on the floor with a disgusted face (but she had no other choice as the rest of the bus seemed to be full). She scanned her surroundings with discontent before her eyes landed on her English teacher who was still busy staring her, his lips half-parted. How come she was sitting on a seat where Belle was supposed to sit? How did that happen? Where the hell was Belle?

"Stop staring, Shakespeare. Miss French couldn't make it," she replied, rolling her eyes.

That was his cue to close his mouth.

Much to his surprise, she was dressed down which was something he wasn't used to at all. The black dress suit was replaced with a white v neck t-shirt (and a very tight one at that), and was she wearing jeans? Now, that was a sight he hadn't seen before. Her shoulder length hair was in a low, messy ponytail, and her make-up was much lighter than the dark lipsticks he was used to seeing. So Robin started at her a few seconds longer than what was necessary before turning back to his book.

"I wouldn't think that you would be the one to volunteer," he remarked, not leaving his eyes from the pages.

"I didn't. I was the only female teacher available for the weekend and the regulations clearly state that you're supposed to have-…"

"…a female teacher with us, I know," he finished her sentence. "I've read the school's code."

"Well, you'd read shampoo ingredients if it was given to you." She rolled her eyes before leaning back into her seat to get more comfortable for a two-hour ride.

"Already have, they apparently use ammonium chloride."

"Shut up."

He smirked against his book and he hoped to God that she didn't see it or it would cause another argument between them. From the corner of his eye, however, he still watched her, and he was surprised when she closed her eyes. They didn't talk for another thirty minutes.

#

Robin was really enjoying his book and his full concentration was absolutely resting on the pages before him. Even though this was his second time reading it, the book was as capturing as always and he found himself getting lost in Hugo's narration as his gaze hungrily skimmed over the pages until he felt something on his shoulder.

When he tore his eyes away from the book before him and turned to his side, his lips curved into an immediate smile. The scary principal, Regina Mills, was curled up in a ball right next to him, and her head rested on his shoulder as she slept. One hand was tucked between her thighs, and a lock of hair threatened to escape from her ponytail.

Robin had to admit, he liked her much more when she was like this: asleep and silent. Because when she talked, it did nothing but to annoy him. So leaning down, he tried to get a better look at her face but as his arm moved, she jumped awake.

Blinking a couple of times, her disoriented eyes switched back and forth between her lap and Robin who was still, much to her dismay, sitting next to her with that annoying dimpled smile plastered on his face.

"What," she asked, her voice indicating that she probably had just been having the deepest sleep of her life.

"Didn't know that you were human, that's all." He smirked before returning his gaze to his book.

"Hilarious," she replied in a cold voice before running a hand through her hair to tame her locks. "What are you reading anyways," she asked after a couple of seconds, her gaze landing on his book.

"Les Miserables. You'd love it, everyone dies," he replied, without taking his eyes off the book.

"You know what-" She was just about to give a piece of her mind right before the bus came into a halt, and they both raised their heads in question.

"We're stopping for a ten minute break," Archie Hopper announced from the other end of the bus.

"Thank God." Regina was the first to talk after a brief silence as she stood up and left the bus as quickly as she could.

Robin only stared after her and scoffed before getting up himself.

"Psst!"

Emma raised her head from the sink in suspicion as her eyes danced around the bathroom. Frowning, she shook her head before returning back to washing her hands. They were getting closer to the woods, it was probably just sound of the trees or something and she really had to get back on the bus before they decided to leave without her. This short bathroom break at a gas station wasn't going to last forever.

"Emma!"

Her senses became alert as the blonde finally recognized the source of the voice. Her gaze landed on the door and she realized it was half open and someone was peeking through it.

"Killian?"

"Shh," he whispered before signaling her to follow him outside and with that he disappeared. _God, he's gonna get us in trouble,_ Emma thought before leaving the bathroom.

Once outside, a hand grabbed her arm and she was being pulled into the shadows.

"What the hell Killian, that was the ladies room," she yelled once she came face to face with the guy. When she looked up however, she realized Gold was with him as both boys stared at her with anticipation in their eyes. This was not good at all, Emma was almost sure they were planning something. Her eyes went back and forth between the bathroom she had just left, and the boys now standing in front of him and smirking.

"Shh… I know," Killian said, whispering. "Is Miss Mills in there?"

Come to think of it, yes Emma remembered Miss Mills walking into the ladies room right after her. What Killian had to do with that she had no idea, but she found herself whispering back anyways. "Yeah but…"

She watched in horror as Killian turned to Gold and nodded him before Gold walked back to where Emma just left and they watched as he disappeared behind the door.

"Killian! What the hell!" Emma turned to him in shock once Gold was out of their sight.

"Be quiet, do you wanna get us caught?"

"Hell yeah! What's wrong with you? What are you trying to accomplish?" Emma pushed his hand away from her arm as she gave his chest a little shove.

"You know the answer to that," he answered with a half smirk which only got Emma to worry for the poor principal who was now inside the ladies room with Gold.

"Killian if she realizes that you're on this with Gold, I swear she's gonna get you expelled." Reasoning with him was pointless, Emma knew that but that didn't stop her from at least trying.

"She won't," the boy spoke, so sure of himself that it only annoyed the blonde.

"What's Gold doing in there anyways? How did you get him to work for your evil plans?"

"Gold will do anything in exchange for a deal." With that he grabbed her arm one more time, and he was about to drag her back to the bus when she stopped him again.

"Wait, Miss French was supposed to accompany us to this trip, wasn't she?" she suddenly remembered before her brown eyes met his blue ones in terror. "Killian… what did you do?"

"You know my mom is good friends with Miss French."

It was the only explanation he gave before he grabbed her arm one more time and took her back to the bus. He really did not want to get caught doing this so that's what Gold was there for. He didn't need to be there while he worked his magic.

Settling back into his seat and putting his reading glasses on, Robin was finally content. He had gotten some fresh air, drunk a cup of coffee and now he was back in his seat with his favorite book in hand and they still had another hour to go. Sighing quietly to himself, he returned his attention back on the pages before him and started reading.

A couple of minutes later, the bus driver started the engine and he could tell that they were about the leave this godforsaken gas station located right in the middle of nowhere. Securing his glasses back on his nose, he tried to get back to his book but something was missing.

Wait… Nothing was annoying him.

Regina!

Taking his glasses off in one swift move, he raised his head to take a look at the rest of the bus, half expecting to find her talking to Mr. Hopper but when he spotted him casually chatting with the bus driver that's when he realized something was really wrong.

"Wait," he called from the back of the bus and everyone turned to stare at him in curiousity except for Killian who was of course busy with quietly giggling to himself. "Where's the principal?"

"I thought she was with you," Mr. Hopper replied from the other end of the bus and Robin's eyes widened with realization.

She was nowhere to be found.

"Hold on, I'll call her." With that he fished his phone out of his pocket before finding Regina's number and hitting the dial button. She was probably going to answer, tell him that she was running a bit late and everything was going to be solved. Yes, that was exactly what was going to happen. She was going to pick up-

But his train of thought was interrupted when he heard a soft melody coming from right next to him. Putting the phone on his shoulder, he turned to his side and one hand found the principal's bag which was stuffed carefully under the seat in front of them.

She had forgotten her phone.

"Everyone, stay on the bus. I'll be right back." He spoke up as he hung up the phone and left the bus in a hurry. Archie followed him right behind.

Millions of scenarios were running through his head as he instructed himself to calm down. She was grown woman, and they were in the middle of absolute nowhere; she couldn't have gone that far. Half-jogging back into the shop located right next to the gas station; he turned around to see if Mr. Hopper was following him. When he saw that he was, he sighed in relief.

Once the two were in the shop, they quickly checked it if she was there, but failing to spot her, Robin walked towards the cashier.

"Have you seen a tall woman, average height, brown hair brown eyes, looking very bossy," he asked quickly, panting.

The cashier just shrugged in return. Many people came into the shop, and he apparently didn't bother to take a second look at them.

"Archie," Robin called back to the other teacher as he approached him. "You look around the gas station, and I'm going to check the bathroom."

Robin saw the other guy give him a brief nod before they separated and he found himself looking for the ladies room.

Regina wasn't the type to abandon her students along with two teachers she absolutely did not trust, Robin knew that. So where the hell was she? The more he thought about that the more he considered the possibility of her being harmed. And that possibility alarmed him the most so when he found the ladies room, he practically rushed inside before yelling in a hurry.

"Regina! Are you here," he started opening the stall doors one by one but he was suddenly interrupted.

"Mr. Locksley!"

Robin's eyes widened before he quickly left the stall he was in and ran to the source of voice. It was coming from the stall at the far end corner, and Regina was definitely in there. She struggled to open the door (like she hadn't been trying nonstop before he arrived), and the stall door rattled but it was no use.

"The door is jammed," she yelled, relief coating her voice once she realized someone had found her.

The first thing Robin did was not to try if the door was indeed jammed or not, no, he first leaned his forehead against the said door and sighed in relief. At least she wasn't hurt but when the door rattled under his touch one last time accompanied by the principal calling his name, he came to his senses, and bent down to examine the lock.

It was indeed jammed. He tried to get it open but the lock wouldn't budge, and if he didn't know better, he'd say this was done on purpose.

"I can't get it to open," he yelled from the other side of the door and heard her lean against the wall with a sigh.

"What do you mean you can't? I have to get out of here," she yelled.

She was trapped, but she was still bossing him around, incredible…

But before he had a chance to reply he heard the door open, and when he turned around, he found Archie accompanied by the shop's manager.

"Did you find her?" Archie asked in hurry.

"Yeah but she's locked inside," Robin replied, forcing the door one more time to prove his point. "We gotta call a locksmith or something."

"It's Friday evening," the manager, a tall, fat guy replied from next to Archie. By the annoying looks he was throwing Robin, he did not look like he was going to be a great help. "We don't have a _locksmith_ on call; this is not New York."

"Then we gotta break the door."

"You can't do that! Who's gonna pay for the door?" The guy raised his voice, and Robin's eyes widened in bewilderment. Was this guy serious?

"She can't be locked in here forever. What do you expects us to do? Come back on Monday all the while you feed her from under the damn door?" He raised his voice so high that for a minute he even surprised himself, but the more he looked into the manager's eyes, the further he wanted to go. So taking a deep breath, he took a step towards the guy but Archie put a hand on his chest, restraining him.

"Robin, calm down." His colleague spoke from next to him.

 _You calm down._ But Robin stopped himself from voicing his thoughts. Instead, he spoke with a much calmer tone, "I'm breaking down that door."

And he was about to do exactly what he said, the hell with that manager, when another voice, a much softer one stopped him.

"Robin, wait." Regina spoke from inside the stall, addressing him with his first name to get his attention. "He's right. We can't afford to pay for the door. The school doesn't have the budget for it."

"What? Are you serious?" He took a step back and faced the door, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Do I look like I'm kidding," came her irritated voice from the other end of the door.

"I can't see you, Regina! That's why we've all gathered here today."

"Find another way, Robin," and that was her final words, leaving Robin leaned against the door with a sigh. That woman was as stubborn as a goat.

He quickly went through all the options in his head before opening his eyes to address Archie and the angry looking manager who had his hands inside his pocket and looked like he had no intention to do anything about the situation.

"Go, and try to find a mechanic or a locksmith."

"Robin, we're-…"

"In the middle of nowhere, I know!" Robin rolled his eyes. What other choice did they have? "Just try."

Nodding, Archie took the manager by the arm and dragged him out all the while the guy mumbled something about Robin breaking down his door.

The two were now alone.

"Miss Mills?" Robin was back to formalities now that he was beginning to calm down. "You there?"

"No, I left while you were talking." came her cold voice, and it only made him let out an angry chuckle before rolling his eyes.

"That's not how you treat a guy who's about to save you."

"I'm not some damsel in distress, calling a locksmith is hardly heroic," she replied, leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

"It is when the locksmith is not available, and we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way." Upon hearing him talk, Regina only frowned, trying to understand the meaning behind his words.

 _What the hell_ … she thought to herself but before she knew what was going on, she heard footsteps, some shuffling accompanied by a sound of a toilet seat coming to a sudden shut.

"What are you…" she was about to ask him but she was interrupted when she spotted him glaring at her from up where the stall door ended.

He was standing on the toilet seat, looking down to her in the stall she was trapped in. The door ended just right under his chest so it was easy for him to lean down from the stall right next to hers.

 _What the hell_ were the only words that spilled from her mouth as she stood there in absolute confusion, lips slightly parted in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Saving you," he replied with a grin before raising his arms to rest them against the top of the wall. "Get up on the toilet."

"What? You must be out of your mind," she said in bewilderment as she crossed her eyes and looked up to him. He was crazy if he was thinking what she thought he was thinking.

"Regina, for once do what I say."

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied, leaning back further against the wall in order to prove her point that she was absolutely not getting on that toilet seat.

"How else do you expect to get out of here? Don't worry, I've done this before."

She gave him a look of disbelief.

"Okay, maybe I haven't…" He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. "But you gotta let me try."

Robin watched as Regina uncrossed her arms and looked around before her eyes settled on the ground. It wasn't long before she took a deep breath and raised her head to meet his eyes, one hand coming up to tuck locks of her hair back into her ponytail as if she was securing them.

She didn't say anything, instead closed the toilet seat and climbed on it with so much calmness that it even surprised Robin. Once she was standing on it, coming eye to eye with him, he raised his eyebrows in shock mixed with question.

"Now what," she asked, resting one hand on the wall that separated them in order to keep her balance.

Robin shook his head to get back to reality. She really was doing what he was telling her so there wasn't a moment to waste. It was very possible for her to decide that this was a stupid idea and change her mind at the last second.

He raised his arms and reached out to her, hands coming to rest just under her armpits. Her gaze went to his hands on her body and she raised her eyebrows.

"Now, you jump."

At first, the look he got from her was disbelief mixed with a little you-must-be-crazy. But he wasn't backing down from this. Her hands involuntarily came to rest on his shoulder.

"Where am I jumping to? The sky?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"As much as that would be a pleasing sight to watch, no. You're going to sit on this wall right here." And with that, he pointed the stall wall that was separating them. "And, I'm going to pick you up."

"No way!"

"Jesus, Regina. What are you afraid of," he asked, starting to get annoyed. His hands withdrew from her and rested on the wall between them.

"Of you dropping me," she replied in a cold voice.

"You don't trust me then," he scoffed sarcastically. He already knew the answer to that question.

"Wow, you must be a detective or something." She crossed her arms and eyed him.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a second to think. Not for other options but for getting her to trust him. That wasn't a task that could be accomplished that easily. The woman in front of him was made out of walls, and he frankly didn't even think that she would give him a chance. But he had to try, that's what he was standing on this godforsaken toilet seat for.

"Regina, please." He was using her first name now, and surprisingly, she wasn't doing anything to stop him. Instead she glared at her, raising her eyebrows in question. "I promise not to drop you and to get you safely back on your feet. You need to trust me if this is going to work."

"And what makes you an expert on this?"

"I read _The Three Musketeers_ , and they do some pretty badass stuff." His little jokes were absolutely having no effect as she continued to glare at him with determination in her eyes. "Take a leap of faith. I promise I won't drop you."

His last words however caught her attention, and as far as he could tell from her chocolate brown eyes, she was slowly lowering her defenses.

"If you drop me, I'll fire you," was the only short reply coming out of her lips before Robin realized that she was actually agreeing to this, and he grinned like an idiot with the realization of it.

"I wouldn't dream of it, milady." With that his hands found their way back to her side as he held her from right under her armpits. "On three."

He counted to three, took a deep breath, and lifted her up. She jumped, and before she knew it, she was sitting on the stall wall that separated her from her English teacher, and he now had one hand on her back, the other on her legs to balance her. A millisecond later, that hand found the place right under her knees, and she was being picked up, bridal style. Her hands immediately went to his neck as she clung to him.

Robin looked down at Regina, who had her head buried in his neck. One hand was around his shoulder, and the other was clutching his shirt so tightly that he was sure that she was leaving marks. As far as he could tell, she had her eyes closed, and it only brought a smile to his lips.

"Regina... I got you," he couldn't help but whisper, still carrying her in his arms. She weighed practically nothing.

He watched as she slowly opened her to look around. Her gaze met his first, and she look around before settling back on his eyes. If he didn't know her any better, he'd say that she was scared.

"I'm…" she swallowed before tightening her hold on his neck. "I'm still not on the ground."

"Aren't you enjoying the view though?" With that (and in order to prove his point from earlier), he tossed her a little.

Her only response was to let out a little yelp, which Robin thought to be extremely adorable, before crossing her legs at the ankles and clutching on to his even stronger. Her head found its way back into his neck as she closed her eyes and buried her face into him.

"Afraid of heights, aren't we?" Robin couldn't help but to mock, her actions bringing a smile to his lips.

"Just put me down," came her trembling voice.

"Okay now, put your feet here," he said, indicating the toilet seat. "I'm holding you."

As Robin lowered her feet to the floor, she took control of it before placing her feet on the toilet seat right next to it. She was about to fall back, but a hand on her back stopped her from doing so as his other hand left her legs to found its way to her waist in order to make sure she was balanced.

"You okay?" He asked, holding her against his chest.

"Yeah." Her voice was not above a whisper, and when Robin looked down he realized that she was still holding on to him. One hand was around his neck and another one was around his waist, making their bodies stay as close to each other as possible. She looked practically frozen in place.

Was she really that afraid?

"Regina, its okay." The hand on her back went to her hair, the same hair he had dreamt of running his fingers though just a week ago, but before he could drew her further into his chest, she was pulling away.

"Thank you," was the only short reply that spilled from her lips, and before he knew it, she stepped down from the toilet seat only to leave the bathroom in a hurry.

Robin was left all alone in the stall with his mouth hanging open.

Did that just happen?


	4. Chapter 4

"Killian, where's the hammer? Killian? Dude!"

David raised his head when he realized that his friend was not responding to his desperate calls. He looked around, one hand still on the pole that was supposed to be driven into the ground, and that's when he spotted his blue-eyed friend. Killian was kneeling a few feet away from David, hands drowned in fabric as he tried to figure out where it began and where it ended.

"What, mate! What," he yelled back, his voice coated with anger and frustration.

"Pass me the hammer."

"Like I know where that is," he replied back before turning around to grab the other edge of the cloth.

Robin watched the small interaction from behind his half-assembled tent before letting out a low chuckle.

After another hour's worth of a bus ride (during which Regina refused to even glance in the same direction as Robin), they had finally arrived to the godforsaken forest. At least that's what everyone else thought, for Robin had been slightly content with his surroundings. After leaving the bus, he had stopped for a minute to take it all in.

It had been still light out as he raised his head to breathe in. The forest had always held a special place in Robin's heart, and he had always felt himself being undeniably pulled into nature. Green surrounded him, and the forest was thick with trees as high as skyscrapers. He had looked around a bit before closing his eyes and listening to the faint sounds of the crickets accompanied by the shuffling of feet. Students had been following Archie to a wide space in the forest where they could set up the camp.

And now, they were all trying to assemble their little tents which were, much to Robin's dismay, small and cheap. The students were to pair up and stay together, and teachers got one tent per person. It was easier this way considering the triangular prism shaped tents were big enough for one and a half persons.

"Shit!" Killian's voice echoed through their narrow camp before everyone's head turned to look towards the source of the voice. As they watched him step on plastic, slip, and fall ass-first to the ground with a loud thump.

Robin had had it! His eyes glanced back to the principal with irritation. She was on the phone with the assistant principal, Sidney, discussing the next parent-teacher conference, like it was a perfect time to do it... All the while, Killian and David were trying to assemble _her_ tent all by themselves.

With one swift move, he stood up and walked over to the kids who were still on the ground. Killian was trying to get up, and David was busy making fun of the poor boy.

"It's okay. I got it." He put one hand on David's shoulder, and when the boy looked up to find Mr. Locksley standing behind him with warmth filling his eyes, he immediately sighed in relief.

They were saved.

"Are you sure," he asked, just in case. "Miss Mills wanted us to do it."

"Well _Miss Mills_ might be busy with her phone…"

With that, all their attentions turned to the principal, who was standing a few feet away from them with anger filling her features. Though upon noticing the stares on her, she turned to them and raised her eyebrows when she realized David and Killian weren't the only ones assembling her tent anymore. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to Sidney.

"But I watched you enough to realize that you two don't know how to build a tent," he finished his sentence with a smile.

"Thank God," Killian exclaimed before standing up and coming to stand right next to his English teacher. Mr. Locksley was definitely, definitely his favorite adult.

"Alright we got this." Robin spoke before kneeling on the ground next to David. "Killian, you get the cover. David, help me put the poles together."

As both boys did what they were told, Robin grabbed the hammer from underneath the cloth and began to look for the various poles that came with the package.

Though he couldn't help but glance towards the direction of the principal again who was now pacing back and forth with fingers running angrily through her loose pony tail. He knew that parent teachers conference was in a few weeks and he also knew that the students were demanding to have a football game scheduled the same day so he did not want to imagine the pressure she was under at that moment.

"No, Sidney. No," she yelled once more, and Robin had to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

It wasn't long before she felt herself being stared at, and before Robin knew it, her eyes met his. She first looked at him then looked at what he was doing; all the while Sidney ranted on the other line. But her attention wasn't on him; no, her attention was on the fact that Robin was building her tent for her.

Her gaze locked back with his, and she raised her eyebrows in question. Robin just shrugged in return. The boys did not know how to do this; what other choice did he have?

She rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention back to her conversation.

That was the only interaction they had since the bathroom incident, and Robin would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit excited. Why, he had no idea.

It was like he had been hyper-aware of her actions for the past hour. Every time she shuffled in her seat at the back of the bus or every time their shoulders threatened to touch each other, he had to stop whatever sentence he was reading to throw a subtle glance at her and check to see if she'd noticed. Yet every time that happened, he went back to the pages in his hand with disappointment filling his chest.

"Mr. Locksley?"

"Huh," he snapped back to reality. When his gaze turned to the boys, he saw them quietly giggling to each other. "What was that," he asked once more to put an end to their actions, silently hoping that they hadn't witnessed the silent exchange between himself and the principal.

"I said, where do you want this?" Killian asked, holding the huge fabric on his hands.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Let's assemble the frame first then we'll slip it over. David, help me with this."

It wasn't long before the tent was securely built. It wasn't a huge tent, and it wasn't that great either, but they were stuck with this instead of the dome-shaped ones which Robin had insisted upon back in school. Though they were hell of a lot harder to build, and he was secretly glad that he was naturally talented in these kinds of things.

#

Once the tents were built, with Robin coming to everyone's aid, it was already getting dark. Archie, knowing this, had not scheduled any trips that day; so the evening was for everyone to relax. He had even, much to Robin's surprise, built a campfire in the middle of their small settlement, and now, everyone was gathered around it, sitting on various logs or on the ground, eating their dinner.

After Robin finished his homemade sandwich, Archie came and sat next to him on a log which was saved specifically for him by his students. It wasn't long before the two men fell into a deep conversation, everyone else busy playing various games. After all, this was a huge sleepover outdoors, and high schoolers got excited for this sort of thing.

"I don't know how I managed to convince the principal to do this," Archie spoke, drinking his coffee from a plastic cup, "But, I'm glad I did."

With that they both turned to glance at the said principal who was sitting on a log right across from them. Mary Margaret was seated right next to her, and she had her notebook open on her lap. Miss Mills was helping her with a particularly hard question, and Robin rolled his eyes at the sight before him. This was a trip for Earth Science, and yet here they were, studying for physics.

"If it was up to her, she wouldn't accept anything other than science fairs," Robin spoke, eyes still on her.

"It _is_ up to her," Archie corrected, and with that Robin's attention turned back to him with confusion.

"What do you mean? Didn't you force her into this?"

"No, she declined first, but then she called me up one day and asked me how much this was going to cost her."

Upon hearing Archie's words, Robin's gaze once more landed back on Regina who was quietly biting the back of a pencil all the while nodding as Mary Margaret recited her words back to her. He felt like he saw the ghost of a smile dancing across her lips as the girl spoke; but the moment was over as quickly as it begun, and they flipped the page.

So, she wasn't that much an ice queen after all.

Although her mysterious, stoic side always intrigued Robin, he felt himself getting even more interested when he learned more tiny details about her. For instance, from the way she chewed the back of that pencil, he deduced that it was something she did when she was overly concentrating on something, or else she would notice Robin's penetrating looks on her.

Killian's voice brought him back from his daze.

"Alright, let's play a game!"

Robin watched as Regina looked up from the book and rolled her eyes in annoyance. He only chuckled at that. They were kids after all, and the kids liked to play games. It was only normal.

"We'll play, Make Me Laugh!"

And, that was how it started.

It hadn't taken long for everyone to pitch in, and all of a sudden, the game was being played camp wide. Killian would pick one person for the hot seat and one to make them laugh, then everyone else would watch how the challenge would go.

After fifteen minutes of endless laughter, even Archie started playing, making the game even more fun now that a teacher was involved.

Laughter erupted from every corner of the camp for the person responsible for the Make Me Laugh challenge would not only make the person on the hot seat laugh but they would drag the whole camp with it. Sometimes it was jokes, sometimes it was puns and sometimes it was just plain ol' funny faces, but it would work every time.

Robin watched with amusement, now holding a coffee in his hand. Even though he had refused to join the students, he was still in the game as he laughed along with everyone.

One of the hardest challenges was with Gold, who was just an expert in holding back a laugh, but when Emma pretended to walk casually in front of him then tripped and landed butt first on the ground, he too was unable to stop himself from holding back a low chuckle. And as it turned out, Archie was the expert on this game; it took only seconds for him to make the students laugh.

After another easy challenge, everyone's breathing was returning back to normal when Killian stood up. "Up next, Miss Mills!"

All of a sudden all eyes were on Regina Mills who barely stopped herself from a doing a spit take with her coffee.

"No," came her firm voice when she managed to swallow the hot liquid. "Absolutely, not."

It was when everyone started protesting at the same time as Robin watched with an amused expression. Regina's eyes were widened at the reaction, but that did not stop the camp from whining and begging her to play along.

"Please Miss Mills! You never smile," Emma yelled from where she was sitting on the ground, and that got her attention.

"Of course, I do," she defended herself, but everyone knew that it was a lie.

"Pleaseee," Mary Margaret pleaded from right next to her, her physics book coming to a close.

Then and before Regina knew what was happening, everyone was chanting and yelling for her to join the game; the whole crowd practically curious as to if their cold and harsh principal would break into a laugh.

Then Robin watched in surprise as Regina sighed in irritation, put down her coffee before turning to face Killian.

"Fine."

And Robin barely stopped himself from uttering a quiet 'wow' when the whole camp cheered in support.

"Okay, okay!" Killian calmed everyone with his hands like he was the one in charge. Well, he sort of was. "Who should make her laugh?"

And at that exact moment Robin thanked God that he wasn't drinking anything because when everyone yelled his name at the same time, he jumped in surprise.

"Whoa, what…" he started but was quickly interrupted by his students.

"Please Mr. Locksley!" Everyone yelled, and he heard his name being shouted at by various people in the camp along with 'please' and 'you have to do it'.

His gaze switched from Killian who was throwing him pleading looks to Regina who was still seated right across from him around the camp fire and now had her arms crossed in front of him.

Was she daring him to do this or was Robin getting paranoid?

One of her eyebrows twitched and her lips curved into a sly, yet subtle smile, and she maintained their eye contact.

Yes, she was daring him.

Or Robin hoped that she was. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain his next actions to her.

One hand still holding his coffee, he raised his free hand and gestured everyone to calm down. Suddenly, the voices subsided and excitement left its place to curiosity. Kids watched in amazement as Robin's gaze danced around the camp.

Then suddenly he left his seat and with slow steps, he passed the camp fire only to stand in front of Regina who in return raised her head to look at him towering her. She gave him another daring look, but their brief yet intense eye contact was broken when Robin turned his attention Mary Margaret who was still seated right next to Regina.

"May I?" He asked gently, a soft smile playing his lips.

Mary Margaret who was busy staring at both her teachers in anticipation suddenly snapped back to reality when she realized that her English teacher was addressing her. It didn't take her long to let out a half-stuttering reply.

"Oh… Of course," she managed to let out, but quickly stood up and walked over to her boyfriend who had saved a spot for her on the ground.

Once the seat was vacated on the log, Robin carefully lowered himself down right next to Regina, his coffee still in hand. Absolute silence surrounded the camp as everyone anticipated for their teacher's first move. No one believed that the principal was capable of a smile, let alone a laugh, so hungry gazes were on the two of them, eyes wide with curiosity.

Robin rested his elbows on his knees, casually holding his cup now in both hands as he watched the fire crackling in front of them. His head turned to give the woman next to him a brief glance who was leaned back, arms still crossed in front of her, as she stared back at him with equal amount of anticipation as the students. However, there was also disbelief in her eyes, and Robin, upon seeing that, turned back to the fire in front of them.

This was too good, way too good. Though he would be lying if he said he wasn't excited a bit himself, but thank God he had always been the master of a perfect poker face.

Millions of options raced his mind. Jokes and puns were out of the question. He knew her, he also knew that he tried a couple of them back when she had first came to work, and his lame jokes had only resulted in a confused look from her part. She did not laugh at that kind of stuff. Silly faces were also way too juvenile for her taste.

So he opted for staying calm as he brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. Everyone was still silent, no one dared to speak and interrupt the moment. Robin had one idea in his mind, and for it to work, he had to catch her off guard.

If he wasn't keeping his poker face, he would smile. But, he didn't.

Instead he leaned back slightly and turned his head to look at her.

"Hey," he spoke softly before returning his gaze back to the fire in such a nonchalant way that it had Regina staring at him in confusion.

"Hey?" It was more like a question since she was still trying to figure out what he was doing.

"So, I'm supposed to make you laugh, huh," he spoke after another brief silence, more to himself than her.

He wasn't particularly speaking out loud, nor was he whispering. He was talking to her, and to her only, so the silence in the camp got even more eerie since everyone was trying to hear what he was saying, no one wanting to miss a word. Some students were even leaning forward as they watched Mr. Locksley's lips in curiosity.

"Apparently so." Regina replied, equally calm. Realizing he wasn't doing anything, not yet at least, she uncrossed her arms as one hand rested on her lap and the other went to her hair. There were only inches between them. Their shoulders were not touching, but he could sense the warmth radiating through her.

"Would you laugh?" he suddenly asked her, turning to face her brown eyes which were filled with intrigue. She was interested and yet relaxed.

And, she was slowly falling to his trap.

"Try me." she replied, voice still cold as she eyed him daringly.

Then suddenly, Robin's gaze was leaving hers again, and much to her surprise, he raised his voice to address the whole camp.

"What do you guys think Miss Mills would laugh at?" his eyes danced around the campfire as everyone's face broke into a grin.

"A joke," a girl spoke from the other end.

"An impression," a guy yelled.

"My transcript!"

Suddenly everyone was voicing their opinions out loud, and the silence in the camp was gone for the good. Students were all trying to find ideas for Mr. Locksley as everyone actually thought about what their cold principal would laugh at.

"Killian," David laughed from the other end of the fire, and Killian had to elbow him in the stomach.

Robin watched Regina's eyes roam over the camp as she listened to every single opinion. He could tell that she was amused, but none of this was enough to make her laugh. He knew that. Then, her eyes were back on his again, and he was giving her soft smile. She was beginning to warm up to him.

"Seems like everyone has their own ideas," he noted, taking another sip from his coffee.

"Seems so," she agreed, a bit surprised.

"Mr. Locksley! Tell her about the time Gold slipped and fell!" Ruby yelled from right next to Gold, who in return threw her an angry look.

"No, don't do that," he replied, still glaring angrily at the girl.

Regina watched the interaction as her eyes left Robin's. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she leaned forward to hear more theories. Her fingers were not fiddling with her hair, and her hand slipped from her lap to rest on the log between her and Robin.

She was relaxed, and she was distracted. She was exactly where Robin wanted her to be. Everyone was talking to each other, but Robin was watching Regina who was now oblivious to his stare on her.

He quickly glanced back to the camp, just to see if they still had an audience. And of course, they did; some of the students were still watching the pair. Good, he was going to need witnesses.

It was quick, it was swift, and he completely caught her off guard.

Suddenly, he placed a gentle hand on her upper thigh, and that was enough to grab her attention. Before she had a chance to say anything, he leaned towards her, their shoulders now touching. His lips stopped inches away from her ear, and he spoke softly and carefully, articulating each word.

"You are absolutely, astoundingly gorgeous…" he whispered slowly against her ear, his breath tickling her skin. "….And that's the least interesting thing about you."

He leaned back and took his hand away from her thigh as he watched her reaction.

At first, her lips parted in anticipation as she took in a sharp breath. It was almost like a gasp. Her eyes widened, and she turned to look at him in surprise.

When their eyes met, he gave her the softest of smiles, and that's when her lips curved into an involuntary smile. He watched her breathe faster, and he saw something in her features he had not seen before; innocence. It was a mixed look of happiness and surprise.

Before she knew what was going on, she let out a soft giggle. It was uncontrolled and spontenous, so when she realized what had happened, she instantly placed a hand on her lips to put an end to her temporary weakness, hoping no one had actually seen it.

But it was too late.

The camp was already silent, and more than half had witnessed what had happened. It was Ruby who broke the silence.

"Oh. My. God."

Suddenly voices of surprise were erupting from all over the camp as everyone came to the realization of what had actually taken place.

Mr. Locksley had done it, and man was he smug.

His gaze danced around the camp as he let out a low chuckle. Some people were throwing him shocked glances, and some students were even applauding the scene that had taken place in front of them. He even heard wolf-whistles before turning to watch Regina, his face as smug as ever.

The same could not be said about her. She was covering her face with her hands, for starters, so it was impossible for him to see. He could tell that she was absolutely horrified, and she was staring at the ground. If he hadn't known her, he would say that she was embarrassed.

"What did you tell her, Mr. Locksley?!" Killian stood up, observing his teacher with excitement. The rest of the camp agreed with the boy, all of them curious to know what made their tough principal break.

But of course, instead of answering the question, Robin just took another casual sip from his coffee before shaking his head.

"But that's not fair," Killian whined with the rest of the camp. "You have to tell us!"

"The rules never specified that," Robin replied with a proud smirk.

As the rest of the camp let out various shouts of protest, Robin turned to Regina who's hands were now resting on her lap, but she was doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact with him. She even looked at a bit angry. Angry at herself or angry at him? Robin didn't know.

"Miss Mills," he addressed her, and she turned to him. "It's been a pleasure."

With that, he stood up and went back to his original seat knowing that this time, he had won.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think it was absolutely adorable." Mary Margaret commented with dreamy eyes.

"It was kinda cute, yeah." Emma agreed before adding. "Who knew Killian's plan would work?"

After the camp fire, everyone had started getting ready for bed before going to their respective tents. They were supposed to be up early tomorrow to go on a short hike with Mr. Hopper so no one wanted to be late. However it wasn't drastically late, giving Emma and Mary Margaret some time to gossip about the day's events in the tent they shared.

"Did you see the way she looked at him?" Mary Margaret spoke, leaning back a little. When Killian had first mentioned the thought she didn't think it was possible, but now seeing the two together, she understood why the boy came up with the idea. There was a visible chemistry between their two teachers.

"I think she was blushing a bit." The blonde replied, giggling.

But their conversation was interrupted when someone, not very gently, unzipped their tent and peeked inside.

The two girls were both startled and Emma jumped in shock only to turn and see a very stressed out David who was now half inside their tent.

"David, what the hell!" Emma said in a shouting whisper, in order not to wake anyone up.

"Sorry, sorry…" the boy muttered before letting himself into the small make shift tent. It was barely big enough for two people and now that David was inside, Emma was having trouble breathing.

"We could have been… I don't know, undressing or something!" Mary Margaret addressed him, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I know, I'm sorry but we have a problem." The boy replied, eyes switching back and forth between Emma and his girlfriend. "I can't find Killian. He's not in our tent."

The first reaction he got from Emma was a silent growl as Mary Margaret rolled her eyes in exhaustion.

"Seriously? Maybe he… went out to pee or something?" the blonde guessed, holding her hopes high. She did not want to be dealing with Killian right before she went to bed no matter how handsome she thought he was.

"I checked everywhere, he's gone. And that's not all." David spoke quickly. "I just talked to Victor who's supposed share his tent with Gold. He's gone too."

Now those words alerted Emma.

Her eyes widened in surprise as her heart started beating faster. Millions of ideas raced her head and her mind darted back to the last time Killian and Gold did something together. The result had been a very angry and very locked-in-the-bathroom Miss Mills. So the fact that they were now both gone together meant that they were about to do something absolutely horrible… again.

"Move." Emma ordered David before crawling out the tent.

#

Making sure that they were being extremely quiet and staying away from the part of the camp where Mr. Locksley and Miss Mills stayed; Emma, David, Mary Margaret and now Victor checked the perimeter, looking for Killian and Gold. After about ten minutes of searching, they came to a stop just a bit outside the camp.

"They're so getting expelled." Complained Emma.

"We are too if we don't go back to our tents." Victor, a quiet boy with dirty blonde hair remarked, already stressed out that they were doing something without their teachers' notice.

They could have at least told Mr. Locksley…

"If Miss Mills realizes in the morning that we knew they were missing and didn't tell her then we're definitely getting detention." David tried to reason, stopping Victor from running back to his tent.

"When I find him, I swear I'm gonna…" but Emma was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

"Are you talking about me, love?"

All of them turned around in surprise, eyes landing on Killian and Gold who were coming out from behind the thick trees with smirks playing their lips. They both looked disheveled. The slight grass stain on their knees did not go unnoticed by the group.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Emma yelled once he came to stand right next to her. Killian gave her a wink in return.

"We've been looking for you for hours!" David exclaimed, equally furious. If he got yelled at because of Killian one more time, he was going to be really pissed.

"Relax, we just had a small business to take care of."

And that was when Mary Margaret noticed that Gold's hands were not empty. He was holding a plastic shopping bag and his fingers were secured tightly around it, as if he was keeping something inside. And on second thought, the bag seemed to be moving…

"What's that?" Mary Margaret frowned, one hand reaching out to grab the bag before Gold pulled it away from her grasp the last minute.

"No no no, don't touch it." He advised her. "Even Killian had to use branches to get it in the bag."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, her gaze switching back and forth between Killian and Gold. "Killian, what did you do now?"

The boy in question immediately raised his hands in defense but that did not stop everyone from throwing him suspicious glances.

"Nothing big, I swear."

"You call this not big?" Gold frowned, trying to keep the bag in his hands. Yes, it really was moving.

Emma was done playing games.

"Killian, if this is another one of your stupid games for Miss Mills and Mr. Locksley then I swear I'm telling them!" her gaze was furious and her hand shot up in front of her while she spoke to indicate that this was not an empty threat.

When the boy stayed silent, she did what she promised and turned around, having every bit of intention to go to the principal about this. She was done enabling him no matter how much it hurt to see him in detention.

However a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Emma, don't!" Killian pleaded.

"This is getting way out of hand!"

"It's the last one I swear!"

"That's a lie and we both know it." Emma crossed her arms in front of her in disbelief.

"Look you don't understand," Killian spoke, defending himself. "It's actually working. Didn't you guys see how she smiled today? She's beginning to soften up!"

"Yeah, but I really don't think…" David started but was interrupted.

"If this works, think about what could happen. No more detentions!" he half yelled in excitement, trying to get the whole group to agree with him.

Emma watched in shock as Gold nodded along. He was supposed to be the smart one…

"Mary Margaret," Killian kept going. "Don't you wanna pass your physics class? This way, you actually can!"

Mary Margaret was about to protest but his words stopped her in tracks. She fell silent for a minute, contemplating her options before unwillingly giving him a brief nod. He was right after all, it was an AP Physics class and passing looked like a miracle. David gave her a surprised look but she just shrugged in return.

"And Victor!" Killian addressed the blonde boy. "Don't you wanna be a doctor? How are you gonna get accepted to a med school if she keeps giving you a C?"

Victor opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Exactly!" Killian exclaimed once everyone around him fell silent. "Guys, this plan is working. Mr. Locksley got her to smile with just one sentence. Who knows what else he could do to soften her up?"

Damn, he was convincing…

#

Much to Robin's surprise, his tent was actually quite warm. He'd guessed that in this weather he had to sleep in his coat but his tent proved him wrong. It was probably because it was pretty small tent and it trapped the body heat inside.

So lying there with only a white sleeveless shirt he had worn underneath his button down, he stared at the ceiling, fully aware of the fact that he was supposed to be asleep if he wanted to wake up early the next day. But for some reason, there was only one thought occupying his mind; her smile.

Robin did not plan getting hooked up to the principal that easily. Sure, when she had first came in he had found her pretty just like rest of the male teachers in the school but contrary to those teachers who's interests subsided with time, his grew stronger. He would see her walking down the hallway one day, fall completely in love with her entire outfit that reminded him of royalty. Then he would calm himself down, go on with his day but he would see her again the next day with an entirely different combination of a dress suit and he would forget all about yesterday.

She was mesmerizing him day by day.

So he wasn't actually just trying to make her laugh when he said those words by the campfire. He had actually meant them.

Robin had always been a respectable guy but he was also smart. Besides you had to be incredibly dumb to not see the way she was treating him. Even though disappointment filled his chest every time he thought about it, it was impossible to deny; Regina Mills was not interested in Robin.

Hell, she wasn't interested in anyone.

So burying his emotions into his chest, he brought up the sarcastic facade every time he saw her, quietly hoping that his wit would hide the fact that he had been pining after her for months now. Thankfully, neither she nor anyone else realized it so Robin was on the clear.

These were the thoughts that raced his mind that night, and the fact that she was probably asleep just a few feet away from him but he tried not to think about that or else he was going to stay awake the whole night which was not a good idea at all.

So he definitely should have been asleep, definitely… Forcing himself to close his eyes, he tried to quiet his brain but a loud noise interrupted his fruitless attempts.

It was a scream.

All his senses became alert in an instant as he quickly sat up in his tent. It was a woman's scream, he could tell and no matter how much he refused to believe it, the voice was familiar.

He had every bit of intention to go check it out, he was the attending teacher after all but he stopped whatever he was doing when he saw his tent being unzipped. The person on the other end was in a hurry, that much he could tell as he sat there, completely dumbfounded and watched the scene unravel before him.

The person he came face to face with was none other than the woman who was occupying his thoughts just minutes ago.

"Mr. Locksley!" Regina panted, her face red with fear. She was breathing heavily and it seemed like she had no control over her limbs because seconds later she tripped and fell face first into Robin's tent.

His arms instantly shot up to catch her and break her fall but unfortunately no one was there to catch _him_ so they both fell back on the cot together, Regina now on top of Robin.

The first thing Robin felt was disbelief. Was Regina really lying on top of him or had he fallen asleep hours ago and now dreaming the whole thing? Then he was filled with worry, if this was real then it meant something was absolutely and terribly wrong.

One of his hands came to her waist as the other gave her back a quick rub and he turned his head slightly to the side to take a look at Regina whose face was buried in his neck. Her hair, now loose, was all over Robin's face and pillow as some of the locks threatened to even get into his mouth. He blew them away and shook his head as Regina slowly but surely placed two hands on the ground, right next to his torso and raised himself up on top of him.

She was still panting and her eyes were wide with shock, not to mention she was still lying on top of him but at least they were now face to face.

"You okay?" that was the first question Robin asked, his hand tightening around her waist in worry.

She nodded hurriedly before uttering a few words, barely above a whisper.

"Snake."

"What?" he frowned, looking up at her.

"There's a snake." She tried again, too shocked and scared to even voice her thoughts properly.

"Where?"

"In my tent."

Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise as he examined her face carefully. She was not lying. And based on the state she was in, he could guess that she came face to face with the said snake before running into the first tent she saw nearby, which was of course his.

"Did you get bitten?" he suddenly asked, one hand leaving her back to land on her arm resting on the ground next to his body as he quickly checked it for bite marks. She flinched at the contact but tried not to show.

Much to his relief, she shook her head.

"Alright, let me go check it out." He reassured her.

She nodded again, unable to say anything else.

Robin waited for her to get up so he could leave the tent and take a look at what the hell kind of a snake would live in this forest. However he couldn't due to the fact that there was still a very shocked and very stunned principal laying on top of him.

One of her knees was right between his legs and she was straddling his left leg with her own. Hands were still on the ground next to his body, supporting her body weight as she kept her stare strictly on his eyes.

That was the second time he had seen her this scared. Another phobia unlocked, Robin thought to himself.

"Regina, if you want me to take a look then I'm afraid you're gonna have to get up." He spoke in a gentle voice, in order not to startle her any further.

"Right." She said, shaking her head before lifting herself from on top of him to sit right next to him in the tent. She was visibly shaking so Robin felt bad for leaving her alone to take a look at the tent.

But he did and before he knew it, he was putting on his shirt and leaving his tent.

It took seconds for him to spot the crowd that was already gathering in front of her tent. Apparently he wasn't the only one her scream woke and as he approached closer, he saw Archie standing among the students, one hand on the zipper to keep away the children from entering.

"What's going on?" he spoke once he was next to Archie as he finished slipping on his shirt.

"There's a snake inside the principal's tent."

Getting past the guy, Robin unzipped the tent to take a look inside. At first he didn't see anything but then something moved at the far end corner and it was when Robin saw a black, slimy creature moving.

He instantly closed the tent back before facing Archie.

"How did it get in there?"

Regina was the one who answered his question. She had already got out and apparently feeling better as she parted the crowd to come and stand right in front of her two teachers.

"I went to the bus to get some stuff, when I got back it was there." She explained, standing a few steps away from the tent. She was still trembling but it was no surprise since the forest was cold and she was wearing another light colored tank top with sweatpants. Robin briefly thought about lending her his shirt but decided against it since he knew that would cause rumors especially after the little incident by the campfire.

"Can we get it out?" Robin turned to Archie once more, his voice hopeful.

"No, don't touch it." He warned him, his gaze switching back and forth between Robin and the tent. "It's poisonous."

Upon hearing his words, loud gasps emerged from the students and that was when Robin took notice of their rather large audience.

"Alright everyone, back to bed now!" he clapped his hands in order to get everyone's attention but instead he was met with various pleads. Some of the students even wanted to see the snake themselves.

"Guys, you really should be in your tents!" Archie tried this time, hands rising up to point out their tents. In response to that, students kept on whining and yelling.

It was Regina who saved them.

"Bed. Now." She wasn't yelling, no, but instead her tone of voice was so harsh and her gaze so icy that upon hearing her utter the words, students quickly ran back to their tent, leaving the three adults alone in front of Regina's tent.

"Wow…" was all Archie could say upon witnessing Regina's authority.

"How poisonous is it?" Regina asked instead, ignoring the mesmerized glances of her teachers.

"Not deadly but poisonous enough for an ER visit." Archie replied, stepping away from the tent now that the students were gone.

"We can't risk it." Robin spoke, shaking his head.

Archie turned to look at Robin and they both gave each other brief nods in agreement. It was too dangerous to try and get the snake out and it wasn't worth it. Besides, the next ER was God knew how many miles away.

However their silent exchange was broken when they heard Regina sigh audibly before walking past the two men. Her hand reached out to the zipper but before she could open it, a hand on her arm stopped her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Robin asked, knowing full well the answer to his question.

"Getting the damn thing out." She replied, her gaze going back and forth between Archie and Robin. "Since you two are too scared to do it."

"Regina we're not scared, we're sane." Robin replied, his hand still on her wrist to try and stop her from doing anything stupid.

"Robin's right. If we get bitten, it'll be hours before we can find a hospital. Who knows what would happen during then." Archie tried to reason with her, taking a step closer to Robin.

"Is that another way of saying that you are terrified?" Regina mocked, pulling her wrist away from Robin's grasp.

"Well you seemed pretty terrified just moments ago while lying in my tent." Robin replied, staring right into her eyes.

"That was just the initial shock."

Archie watched his two colleagues in surprise, not even wanting to know what had taken place in that tent just now but before they could dwell on the subject even further he quickly came to stand in between them, interrupting their dispute.

"Alright, alright." He said, putting one hand on Robin's chest thus forcing him to take one step away from Regina. He obeyed unwillingly.

Archie then turned to look at Regina, "We need to find you a place to stay." He advised her, a part of him knowing that she wasn't going to listen.

"How about right here, in my own tent?" she bit back.

"Out of the question!" Robin exclaimed and that's when he really pissed her off.

"Who are you to tell me where to sleep or not?" pushing Archie's hand away she took a step closer to Robin, eyes wide with anger, who also stepped closer to his boss.

"Oh I'm sorry, you're not used to anyone caring about your well-being then!" he snapped back, his voice almost loud enough to wake the whole camp. But he managed to contain himself the last minute and brought the volume down.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Guys!" Archie got in between them once more, as two of his hands shot up to keep the two away from each other. "You'll wake the whole camp."

"She already did that by screaming." Robin scoffed.

"How about you accidently walk into a tent occupied by a poisonous snake and we'll see if you scream or not."

"I thought you weren't scared."

"I'm not."

"Hey!" Archie interrupted them once more, slowly getting tired. "As much as I'd love to do this the whole night, we still have to find you a place to sleep." With that he turned to face his boss who didn't even bother to glance at him. No, her eyes were firmly rested on Robin who returned the glare with equal ferocity. That guy never backed down from a challenge with the principal…

"I'll stay with you." Regina spoke, finally lifting his gaze from Robin to address Archie.

"You can't."

"And why is that?"

"Because no one brought an extra tent for the bus driver."

With that, all their eyes turned to look at Archie's tent which was built right next to Robin's. Faint but still audible sounds of snoring could be heard coming from it. Regina rolled her eyes in exhaustion.

It was when it all dawned on her and she slowly turned his gaze to Robin who was throwing her a knowing smirk.

"Guess you're stuck with me." Robin spoke nonchalantly, hands slipping inside his pockets. He was enjoying this a lot more than what was appropriate.

"I'd rather sleep with the snake." She bit back.

There was a brief silence before he answered; a silence filled with him trying to not let it show how offended he actually was. There was hurt clouding his features and he knew it but he quickly put on his perfectly mastered poker face and buried his feelings deep inside.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged before turning around to walk back to his tent but a hand on his arm stopped him from doing so.

"Robin, please." Archie pleaded before stepping closer to him. "Work with me here because she doesn't. We don't have any other choice."

"Well then convince _her_ because I'm not the one with the snake phobia!" he yelled the last part just so she could hear.

When both men turned to gauge their boss' reaction however, a completely unexpected sight awaited them.

Regina, of course refusing to listen anything that Robin and Archie said, had knelt down right in front of her tent and she was right in the middle of unzipping it when they caught her in the act. It took seconds for Robin to jump from where he was standing only to grab her wrist as pulled her away from the tent all the while Archie zipped it back up.

Pulling her to her feet, Robin gave her an angry glare before making sure Archie had closed the tent door securely.

"That's it." He spoke, one hand still holding on to her wrist. He was afraid that if he let it go, she would run off back into the tent again. "You're staying with me."

"Make me." Once again, she pulled her hand away from him and crossed her arms in front of her.

Was she daring him again? Had that woman not learned her lesson?

"Alright then." He spoke before turning to give Archie a brief glance. "Goodnight Mr. Hopper."

In return Archie just started at him in confusion but before he had a chance to reply, Robin suddenly bent down and put one hand on the back of her knees, the other coming to support her back. In one swift move, he picked her up in his arms and she barely stopped herself from letting out a scream.

"Mr. Locksley, put me down right this instant!" she tried but when she didn't get any response she spoke again, this time much quieter. "You know how I don't like the heights."

"Exactly, you won't be able to protest." Robin just beamed at her in return as Regina's hands involuntarily went to his neck. She was afraid of falling after all and it only made carrying her easier.

With that, he gave a brief nod to Archie who had his mouth hanging open before walking back into his tent with a very annoyed and irritated principal in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

"You will put me down this instant or I cannot be held responsible for my actions!"

"We're nearly there."

But of course that didn't stop Regina from hitting his chest with her fists in order to escape from his embrace. As she squirmed impatiently in his arms, Robin entered his little tent before gently placing her on the make shift pallet he made from two sleeping bags and some extra clothes and blankets. It made the ground a lot softer than it actually was.

She immediately rose to her knees before facing Robin who also crouched right beside her since the tent was too small for them to be able to stand up in.

"You listen here, and you listen closely," she said as she pointed a finger towards him, eyes flaring with anger. "What you did was highly inappropriate, and this is the second time it has happened!"

He quickly raised his hands in front of him like she was going to take out his eyes with that finger she was pointing towards him.

"I was trying to save you on both occasions!" he desperately defended himself, getting a little intimidated by the way her stare burned his face.

"I deal with my own disasters, Robin." She yelled, not caring if anyone else was eavesdropping on the small camp. "You remember that next time."

He leaned back, startled by the sudden volume of her voice. Although there was now more distance between them, their gaze stayed locked and Regina did not take her eyes off of him. But where her glare was burning like fire, his began to soften up with the realization of what he had just done.

He was only now beginning to understand how sensitive she was when it came to these things. So instead of pressing the issue, no matter how much he wanted to -since he still firmly believed that his actions had taken place in order to help her, not annoy her-, he slowly backed down.

He could tell she was expecting him to say something; anything to start another argument between them, and secretly glad that there wasn't an Archie to stop them this time however her lips parted in surprise when he spoke, his voice gentle.

"I'm sorry." He lowered his hands and was glad to see her do the same, mirroring his actions although he wasn't sure if she was aware of it.

"You are?" she couldn't help but to ask, the anger in her voice now replaced with surprise. He nodded slightly in defeat. The hint of innocence he had witnessed by the campfire was back in her eyes again now that he was saying the right words, though it didn't take long for her to find her way back to the cold and disciplined boss that she was.

"Of course you are." She corrected herself, her tone coming out much firmer now.

"And I promise not to touch you or pick you up in any case without your consent…" he spoke gently before adding, "M'lady."

Now that those words were out of his mouth, he began to see them working like magic contrary to his actions in the past. He internally cursed himself for not getting this earlier.

He watched her reaction and one thing he was sure of was that she was surprised. She had definitely expected this conversation to turn into another fight, which would only leave them exhausted and stressed out. So, she was prepared to fight with every fiber of her being when he did just the contrary and handed her the victory: a victory that was well deserved.

Her eyebrows rose slightly as she stared at him, just to make sure she had heard him right. After a brief silence, she spoke.

"Thank you." Her voice was soft, like she was also quietly apologizing for mistaking him as someone who would not respect the boundaries she had fought for her entire life.

For a while they sat there, stunned by how this conversation had turned out. It was unusual, for sure, and Robin had no idea how to move forward with it. Arguing with her came easy; he hid behind his sarcasm and witty comments but apologizing and thanking each other was a first so he did nothing but sit there and observe the woman before him as she did the exact same thing to him. The only difference was that her breathing had slowed down and she seemed a lot calmer.

"So…" he started, instantly reminding himself of the time they had spoken on the phone and how desperate he drunkenly was to fill in the awkward silence.

"Don't think this means I'm sleeping here." She interrupted him, just like she had done on the phone; however, this time hanging up in his face was not an option.

Her last words ignited something in Robin which had died down with the apology. Everything was just beginning to calm down and here she was being stubborn again. Robin felt his breathing speed up as he looked up to meet her eyes again.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" he suddenly spoke, his voice turning serious.

"The joke would be me being stuck with you." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly, Regina, you're stuck with me! That's the whole point to this conversation. So how about you accept it and stop being so damn stubborn about it!" That was it, every time he felt himself beginning to calm down and get used to this woman, she was there to destroy the progress.

"Listen up, _Robin_ ," she also raised her voice, emphasizing his first name just because he was using hers instead of calling her by her formal title. "There is only one universe where I sleep next to you, and that universe only exists in your dreams."

"You were so eager to sleep in Archie's tent just minutes ago; I'm beginning to think I'm getting special treatment here."

"And I'm beginning to think you're whining more than usual." She frowned, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I don't whine."

"I don't give special treatments."

"You know what," Robin was tired; he was completely done dealing with her. "Do whatever you want; I'm done. Go sleep somewhere else or sleep here. I don't care."

With that he reached for the buttons on his shirt, slowly unbuttoning the garment he would wear tomorrow as his gaze left hers. Ignoring her, he looked at anywhere but her eyes all the while his hands fumbled with the buttons.

"What are you doing?" her gaze shifted back and forth between his face and his fingers.

"Going to sleep." He replied shortly before taking the shirt off and lying down. He immediately turned his back to her, indicating that this conversation was over; though he had no idea how he was going to sleep since he was fuming with anger and irritation.

"Fine." He heard her say from behind him. After a few seconds he heard noises indicating that she was grabbing the second pillow that laid somewhere at the other side of his small tent along with a lightweight blanket before angrily unzipping the tent and stepping out.

Where she was going to sleep he had absolutely no idea but deciding it was none of his business, he closed his eyes.

#

Robin was still awake.

And he was worried, even though he refused to admit it.

It had been almost half an hour since the principal left his tent in a hurry so it had been half an hour since he laid there, pretending to be asleep. But if he thought sleeping was hard an hour ago before he had first heard her scream, it was even harder now. His mind refused to calm down.

The first thought that kept his brain awake was her whereabouts. He had no idea where she was. He knew that Archie's tent was occupied so she couldn't be there and he also knew all the students were sharing their tents. Besides, Regina Mills was not the kind of teacher who would share a tent with a student. Robin could, maybe, but not her.

He was partially worried that she might have been busy fighting off the snake in her tent, determined to stay there no matter what. But after all that went down, he doubted that she would go back there and risk her health now that he and Archie were asleep in their tents. There would be no one to drive her to the ER if something had happened, and Robin didn't even want to think about that possibility.

The second thought on his mind was that it was cold out. Yes, inside his tent was a little bit warmer; he had always been resilient to cold since he was a kid so he was perfectly comfortable laying there with a sleeveless shirt. But he was pretty sure that wasn't the case with her. She had already been cold when she had first came into his tent an hour ago so he was almost positive that wherever she was staying now, she was freezing. The thin blanket she had grabbed on her way out would not even come close to keeping her warm.

He had tried to sleep, he really had right after she had left his tent, but his mind refused to calm down. How could he sleep while he was worried sick? Why, he had no idea. Just half an hour ago she had told him that she was perfectly capable dealing with her own problems and he had even apologized for trying to take care of her. So why was he backing down now?

He shifted and turned around, his blanket sliding off his chest only to rest on his stomach. His fingers found his face as he rubbed his sleepless eyes.

Where was she? And before he knew what he was doing, he got up.

He didn't even know what he was doing but he found himself very slowly and quietly unzipping his tent just to peek outside. It was completely dark out, just like inside his tent as he focused harder on his surrounding to be able to see clearly. His eyes scanned the tents outside, not hearing a sound other than the soft, chilly breeze.

Still crouched down, he leaned even further out to see if he could spot anything unusual and that's when he saw it.

His eyes caught her silhouette first, lying a few feet away from him in the dark. She was so well covered that he was sure no one would be able to see it if they weren't specifically looking for her, which he was. Regina had decided that sleeping outside was a good idea, so there she was, curled up tightly under the thin blanket. Her back was turned away from him so he couldn't tell if she was asleep or not but he noticed one thing; she was shivering.

He quickly got back into his tent, praying that she hadn't heard him spying on her as he zipped the entrance back up before lying down again.

Now he was feeling even worse. Ignorance really was bliss.

He turned to his side, his back to the tent flap as he closed his eyes once more. But this time, he knew sleep wasn't coming since he now knew where she was. It made him feel horrible and he couldn't help but blame himself for it.

True, the snake wasn't his fault but if he could have just tried to convince her even harder maybe she wouldn't have been in this position. Feeling the ache in his chest grow even stronger, he promised himself not to sleep now that he was now aware of her staying outside in the cold. His senses were on alert and he told himself he was keeping an eye on her, just in case something had happened. Besides, he knew it was impossible to sleep now anyways.

It was exactly ten minutes later that he heard it.

His back still turned against the entrance of the tent, he heard someone quietly unzipping the flap before coming inside. His first reaction was to turn to see who it was but he already knew; he would recognize her anywhere.

She was back.

Robin instantly closed his eyes and pretended that he was asleep, knowing that even one move was enough to scare her off. So not moving a muscle, he listened closely as she zipped the tent back up before coming to lie down beside him.

He was having trouble fighting the smile off his lips, and he momentarily thanked God that she wasn't able to see his face. He heard her pull the blanket even tighter around her body and because it was such a small tent, he could feel her still trembling underneath it.

So that's why she had come back…

Robin's heart was beating even faster in his chest and he had every bit of intention to tear off his blanket from his body just to wrap it around her shivering form but he knew that would only result in embarrassing and angering her further. She was the one who wanted to deal with her own disasters, and Robin was the one who had promised to leave her alone.

So laying there, not knowing what to do, he stayed awake and waited; just in case she needed him.

She didn't prove him wrong.

When she spoke, her voice came out soft and trembling, indicating that she was cold and desperate enough to come to him for help.

"You awake?"

"You cold?" he asked her in return, without moving a muscle.

There was a brief silence before she answered.

"Maybe."

He sighed and rolled his eyes before turning to his other side so he was now facing her. She was on her back but she turned to look at him when he faced her.

She seemed to be paler than she normally was and upon seeing it, Robin's features instantly softened.

"I would say I told you so…"

He was interrupted when she threw him a deadly glare, and he shut his mouth immediately. A moment later he spoke again, already knowing her response.

"I know you don't like this sort of thing but…" before he knew what he was doing, he slipped one arm from inside his own blanket and extended it towards her. He wasn't touching her, but he was inviting her to his embrace, just in case she needed warming up.

Her gaze switched back and forth between his half sleepy face and the arm that was extended towards her. She raised her eyebrows in question before she answered.

"Absolutely not," she replied harshly, before looking back up to the ceiling.

"Alright," he murmured, his voice barely audible before drawing his arm next to his body again. He was half disappointed by her answer but he wasn't surprised at all. With a sigh, he closed his eyes knowing there wasn't anything he could do to help her.

Though he could tell that she was still shivering. After a few minutes, she was curled up in the fetal position, clearly trying to warm herself but without much success. Robin wasn't pushing it, she had said no-

"Oh fine..." her voice was a little weak, betraying how cold she really felt, "But this is just because I don't want to freeze to death. I have a school to run!"

"Lives to terrorize," he completed and he could practically feel her deathly glare on him even though he still had his eyes closed.

Just very slowly he opened his eyes only to face with a very nervous and a very cold principal lying just a few inches away from him. Still having difficulty believing that she had agreed to this, he eyed her carefully.

She briefly turned to look at him but instantly looked back up in tension as if his stare had just burned her.

Was she as nervous as he thought she was?

Ever so slowly, he extended the same arm towards her again this time his hand coming over to her body and touching her upper arm, but just as his fingers made contact with her skin, she flinched and took in a sharp breath.

He instantly drew his hand away from her trembling body before coming to a sudden realization.

"You are really _that_ uncomfortable with this, aren't you…" he spoke, more to himself than her as he recalled all the times he had picked her up without her consent. Now he was feeling extra bad about this as guilt pierced through his chest.

She didn't respond but instead turned to lie on her side, now facing him. He watched as she gave him the briefest of nods before biting her lip in a very self-conscious way. His eyes widened with surprise and he instantly put down his hand, his fingers now resting on the ground, inches away from her own.

After making sure he wasn't touching her in any way, he slowly let out a long breath in relief, glad that he had caught himself the last minute and that she wasn't making a run for it once again. Blinking a couple of times, he scanned the woman in front of him long and hard before deciding on another tactic.

"Have you ever been married?" he suddenly asked, his voice indicating that the sleep was wearing off of him.

"What?"

"Marriage. You know a sacred institution between two people who vow to destroy each other via shared income and matrimonial property?" he explained like it was a normal thing.

He watched her reaction as her lips curved into a small smile but she instantly shook it off before drawing in a breath. Bad memories maybe, Robin thought but before he got any other ideas she slowly shook her head.

"I was." He then confessed, grabbing her attention.

"Someone married you?" the words spilled from her lips before she could stop herself but he could tell she wasn't sorry.

He just smirked in return.

"This might come as a surprise to you, but there are women who like me after all." He replied, lifting his fingers to run through his hair before placing his hand back right between them, a little bit closer to hers this time. She didn't notice.

"Who was the lucky girl?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she observed him with an amused expression.

"Her name was Marian," he confessed with a smile as he recalled the memories.

There was a pause where she expected him to continue with his story but when he stayed silent, she spoke.

"Don't tell me she died or something. Though, I would understand why marrying you would kill someone…"

"Funny." He replied, throwing her a glare. "But no, she's very much alive and receiving every cent of the alimony I'm paying her."

"So what happened?"

"A horrible divorce lawyer happened." He smirked, secretly glad that she was invested in his little story.

Ever so slowly the tips of his fingers came in contact with the side of her hand. He was glad when she didn't flinch or move away from his small touch but then again, she probably didn't even notice it, Robin thought. In order to keep it that way, he quickly added.

"She fell in love with my best friend, John."

He watched as she raised her eyebrows in surprise and stared at him in shock.

"Oh…" she spoke, and he could tell that she didn't know how to react to this. The Regina Mills he knew would laugh it off but the humanity in her took a pause before checking to see if he was okay with it. When he smiled at her in return, her lips broke into a grin. "What did you do to deserve _that_?" she asked.

"Well, other than reading her poetry every night?" he asked, pretending to be clueless.

That's when she gave him a full on smile, and even though it had been hours since he had last seen it, he found himself extremely glad that he was getting to witness it again.

"Never mind." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"What? Do you think _that_ might be the reason?" he asked incredulously, faking a very shocked expression. "My God, Wordsworth destroyed my marriage!"

He actually managed to squeeze out a giggle from her, and when her gentle voice echoed through their small tent, he moved his fingers even further and gently stroked the back of her hand.

This time she noticed and her gaze instantly shifted to their joined hands between their bodies. However before she had a chance to pull away, he spoke again.

"How about you?"

"How about me what?"

"I just told you my deepest secret, what's yours?" he asked, half joking but desperate to shift her attention from his fingers which were currently caressing the skin on her hand, slow enough to go unnoticed.

"If paying alimony was your deepest secret then I'm afraid you are a pretty boring guy," she said, her eyes meeting his once more.

"It's a big alimony," he countered, raising one eyebrow.

"It can't be that big. Your paychecks go through me, remember?" she raised one eyebrow, still keeping her hand under his touch.

"This seems like a perfect time to ask for a raise." He laughed, his fingertips dancing on the back of her hand.

"And it's also a perfect time to say no." She laughed along with him. However the laughter died in her throat when her attention shifted back once more to their hands lying between their bodies.

There was no denying it; his hand was resting on top of hers.

"Mr. Locksley…" she spoke, using his formal title as she dared not to tear her gaze away from their hands. "What are you doing?"

His gaze also shifted to their joined hands as he slipped his fingers inside her palm and stroked the soft skin there before speaking.

"Easing you into this."

His voice was low and gentle and she found herself switching her gaze back into his ice blue eyes. She took in a deep breath and she was about to comment before he interrupted her.

"Have you ever been married?" he repeated his question, distracting her.

She let out a long sigh and swallowed before meeting his gaze again. "Does a fiancé count?"

Robin's mind instantly darted back to the picture he had seen on her Facebook. There was one guy he had spotted, his hands around her waist and he thought about how sensitive she was when it came to physical touch. So that guy was definitely more than a friend. He found himself being even more interested.

"His name was Daniel." She spoke and gasped when Robin came to intertwine his fingers with hers instead of innocently caressing her hand. "And he also cheated."

That was all the information he was getting out of her and Robin was more than fine with it. The point here was to distract her, not to get her to reveal her deepest secrets.

"Let me guess," he started as his hand found its way to the inside of her wrist. "Dirty blonde hair, dark blue eyes and a face to die for." He mocked, raising his eyebrows once which earned him another short giggle.

His fingers were making their way up her arm as he caressed her wrist back and forth, feeling the softness of her skin. Each move made his heart beat faster in his chest. However the words she spoke next made him stop dead in his tracks.

"You also got that from my Facebook?"

His fingers stopped moving.

_Shit._

"You.. I… Regina, I mean Miss Mills…" His hand halted its progress on her arm as his lips parted in surprise. He instantly looked up from his hand on her arm and his gaze met hers. Much to his surprise, her eyes were filled with amusement as her lips curved into a smile.

"Tell me, did you enjoy the picture of me wearing a bikini?" she suddenly spoke, and this time it was _her_ fingers that were curling around his arm.

Now she was the one who had the upper hand and he found himself swallowing hard with anticipation and fear.

"You saw that?" he managed to choke out, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You thought you could get away with stalking me?" she asked in return as his hand involuntarily climbed on her arm. She sucked in a sharp breath in response.

"Yes?" his voice came out weak and thank God, earned him another smile from her in exchange for his honesty.

Their fingers were not dancing around each other's hands now. He was caressing the silky smooth skin just inside her elbow, and although her hand was frozen on his arm, her fingers were still curled around it as she held on to it. She eyed their contact curiously, like it was something she was experiencing for the first time before switching her gaze back into his eyes again.

She was about to reply, but her voice died down in her throat when his fingers slowly but surely moved up to her upper arm as he gently stroked the new found territory. Her eyes were back on his hand again as she watched him inch even closer to her shoulder.

"How does it feel?" he whispered, afraid that even a slightest sound was enough to startle her from her trance. He stood ready just in case she felt uncomfortable, and was about to draw his hand away when she didn't respond but her lips parted the last second.

"Different." She cleared her throat, desperately trying to gain some authority in this situation but her trembling form betrayed her in every way. She was still cold and his soft touch on her arm was the only thing that was warming her up.

"Marian was not a fan of physical contact too." He suddenly spoke, once again distracting her from his hand which was now creeping up to her shoulder.

"So this…" Her fingers left his arm only to point at his hand on her body and much to his surprise found its way back as she placed her hand further inside his elbow, closer to his upper arm. Anticipation mixed with adrenaline filled up his insides. "…is something you did often?" she completed her question, indicating his attempt to ease her into touching.

"She accepted my touch whenever she wanted to be touched so this…" his fingers lifted off of her body to mirror her earlier gesture before he placed his hand on her shoulder, drawing their bodies even closer. "…is my first time."

She nodded quietly before a shiver went through her spine as her hand tightened around his arm. She was getting colder and that was Robin's cue to pick up the speed.

"I have to admit," he quickly changed the subject, fingers finding their way to her neck. "It's interesting seeing you without your usual dress suits and heels."

His gaze went to her tank top and sweatpants clad body before finding her brown eyes again. Following his eyes, she also looked down at her body which was now brushing against his but not quite touching yet as she let out a small sigh.

"This is not something I usually wear to bed either." She shrugged. "But we're camping and…"

In that exact moment his hand slipped down as his middle finger went to her side and traced the perfect line of her body before coming to a halt on her waist.

Whatever words she was about to speak died in her throat as she gasped and closed her eyes but did not move away from him. He watched her reaction to his touch, every breath she took in sending shivers down his spine as he parted his lips in anticipation.

"And?" he managed to breathe out, making sure she was still concentrated on the conversation and not on his hand which was currently circling around on the side of her waist, not quite holding it yet.

"…and there are… uhm," she opened her eyes and cleared her throat. "…students around and…"

His hand clasped around her waist.

She gasped and her eyelids fell closed again.

If he thought that she was sensitive, he realized he was now beginning to witness the actual thing. Instead of tightening his hold on her waist, his hand slipped further down to her hip, making sure she was slowly getting used to his touch.

Her hand on his arm was sweaty, but when he moved his fingers, her hand also moved involuntarily only to land on his chest as she let out a long breath before opening her eyes once more.

"…and anything can happen during the night." She finally completed her sentence, her gaze transfixed on his eyes. And at that point he was trying oh so very hard not to read between the lines and focus on the task at hand.

Making sure his touch stayed absolutely non sexual -though for some reason it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on where his hand was going- he traced her fingers down from her hip only to come to a stop on the side of her upper leg.

The air between them was thick with tension and he could tell she was getting nervous by each passing second.

"You mean like giant poisonous snakes?" he joked, in order to lighten the situation.

"I mean exactly that." It worked as her lips curved into a soft smile and he took this as an opportunity to tighten his hold around her upper leg before pulling it closer to his body.

She let him. Her leg came to rest right between his own as he intertwined their limbs together before gazing right back up into her eyes again.

"How am I doing?" he couldn't help but ask, still testing the waters. Even though her short gasps and smiles were good enough indications, he still needed to hear if she was okay with all of it.

"Surprisingly good." She nodded, the discomfort gradually fading away from her voice only to be replaced with warmth.

"You know," he said, finger now slowly going back up to her waist as she eyed him carefully, this time comfortable with his touch. "They say practice makes perfect."

He raised his eyebrows and threw her a smug look before she burst into a set of giggles, her body coming closer to his with each time she laughed. Her hand was now trapped between their bodies, still resting peacefully against his chest as his fingers came in front of her to rub soothing circles on her stomach. If he was getting her to laugh this easily either his jokes were getting increasingly good or she was getting way too sleepy not to care. He preferred the first option.

"Well this is going to be a skill you don't get to practice again." She spoke once her breathing returned back to normal. "Not with me at least."

His hand was playing with the edge of her tank top but the garment lifted without his notice and for a brief moment his fingers came into contact with the bare skin on her stomach.

Her eyes widened with surprise and she swallowed back a moan before slowly warning him with her eyes to back off a little. He didn't need her silent warning for his fingers quickly returned back to the safe territory on her stomach, over her shirt. That kind of contact was too much for them and he knew it as well as her.

"But it's not easy finding women who are cold and in need of a place to stay." He chuckled as his hand slipped to the back of her waist.

"Well then you're just gonna have to look harder." She bit back, a soft smile playing her lips.

"Or maybe I don't have to."

Suddenly his hold on her body tightened and with one swift move, he pulled her towards him as their bodies crashed together. She bit back a moan as her head found the crook of his neck before pressing her face to him. She closed her eyes with a sigh. Her fingers clung to his shirt as she absorbed the warmth that was radiating off of him in a complete relaxed state all the while his hands started rubbing her back.

"Still cold?" he whispered, his voice muffled by the fact that his face was buried in her hair. He breathed her in and closed his eyes.

She didn't say anything, but he felt her shake her head from the crook of his neck as she pressed herself even closer against his body.

He lifted his hand off of her body momentarily just to find the blanket before covering them both as he hugged her tighter against his chest, having every bit of intention to enjoy the new sensation before going off to sleep himself. He could tell that she was already getting drowsy in his arms, her hands beginning to lose their grip on his shirt.

He muttered a soft goodnight against her hair, not knowing if she heard it or not as he closed his eyes himself.

His mind which had been keeping him awake all this time, was now finally quiet.


	7. Chapter 7

Robin would be lying if he said this was the best sleep of his life.

It wasn't his fault really; he'd just never slept in the same bed with another woman for the past couple of years. Marian had already taken him some time to get used to and after she was gone, Robin had felt like he was back to his usual routine; as if Marian had been a temporary arrangement. Sure there had been women before; women that he met here and there who had the pleasure to warm his bed for a couple of hours at least but it had never gotten serious. One way or the other his relationships always fell apart and he had always gotten back to bed alone.

So Robin was actually surprised when the next woman who ended up sharing his bed, well in a literal sense at least, turned out to be his boss. He hadn't anticipated it and he wasn't even thinking properly when he offered her the chance to share his tent. But after all sharing his tent somehow meant sharing his bed and Robin only came face to face with that little fact when he found her laying peacefully in his arms and that had been the last thought that was crossing his mind right before he closed his eyes and went to sleep himself.

It hadn't been a deep sleep, that was for sure, but at least he had managed to actually catch a few hours of sleep which surprised him the most. The other women he had been with were always the ones who left after the main course, and those who stayed slept by themselves while Robin laid wide awake next to them, contemplating the day's events. There were even times he even left the bed, wandering around in the house, and promising himself that he would get used to this lady whom he shared a candle lit dinner with. It was what considered normal after all and Robin, as far as he knew it, was an ordinary guy.

However he had never gotten used to it, and he thought one of the reasons he'd managed to actually sleep next to Regina Mills was because he had been tired, and another reason was that how much he actually worked for her to be comfortable around him that he somehow fell for the same trap himself, even though that had never been his intention. True, he never had been as hesitant as Regina when it came to physical contact but there _were_ some walls he had built around himself too and that was the night as he watched himself tear some of those walls down.

Because after all, he had gone to sleep.

When he woke up however, any evidence of her spending the night in his tent was gone. For starters, he woke up alone. He didn't know if it was his internal clock that woke him up or if it was the faint sounds of students chatting right outside his tent but he groaned right before opening his eyes and bringing a hand to rub the sleep off his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that he was alone and that Regina had left his tent sometime in the morning. Of course, there were no surprises there. Robin knew she was probably the kind of person who liked to wake up at 5 am and go on a treadmill before heading off to breakfast.

After putting on a shirt, and taking a moment to actually wake up, he hastily left his tent to face the army of students who were gathered around the campfire. It had been their unofficial meeting point and now everyone was impatiently waiting for Archie Hopper who was to lead the hike for the day. Robin didn't know what actually this hike was about since he had never been a fan of Earth Science even though he tried to actually understand what Archie was saying while he excitedly ranted about the field trip back before they left the school. So instead of trying to understand, he just shrugged and went on with his day.

It wasn't long before he caught a sight of Miss Mills who was listening intently as a student talked to her in a hurry. She nodded as the boy in front of her raised his hands in excitement as she brought a hand to her hair before brushing a lock away, eyes never leaving the student in front of her who was obviously concerned over something. For a moment, Robin stood there watching the exchange between a student and a teacher but before he had a chance to avert his gaze from the two, Regina's eyes left the student momentarily only to land on Robin's. It was quick and he didn't think it lasted more than a second but she glared at her, eyes filled with something he couldn't quite explain before she turned her attention back to the student who was oblivious to the brief eye contact that had just taken place between his two favorite teachers. Realizing that was all he was getting out of her that morning, he sighed and moved on.

After a brief breakfast, they headed out of the camp.

#

"Alright folks, make sure to have your notebooks with you and try not to leave the group and get yourselves lost!"

Archie yelled as about two dozen teenagers groaned before forcefully following him. This was going to be their first hike and considering how most of them joined the field trip thinking this was going to be a huge sleep over among friends, they weren't pretty excited when it came to the footwork of the trip; three hours of walking was not something to look forward to after all.

Robin was enjoying himself though. To him, this wasn't just boring hike in the middle of a forest no one has heard of, it was more like a little relaxing trip away from the four walled classroom of his. Not that he didn't like teaching, he adored it, but he was a man who was fond of change and this weekend was a pretty big switch from his usual job. So taking his bag pack, he watched as Archie led the way and students followed right behind all the while trying to write his words down to their respective notebooks on hand. It wasn't long before he followed their trail and started walking just a few feet behind the group, hoping to get a good view of the students just in case something happened.

He could barely hear Archie from where he walked, hell he could barely even hear the students quietly muttering to themselves as they looked around the giant forest, but he found himself being content with his position. For some strange reason he felt in control that way and got a better view of the students than anyone.

No matter how much he tried to keep his eyes on the group before him, Robin couldn't help but look for a specific person amongst them; the person he had spent the last night with. Even the mere thought of it was enough to send chills down his spine but he ignored the feeling at the bottom of his stomach before looking back up to the group.

She was walking right in the middle, not close to Archie but not that close to Robin either as she made sure to stay on the side lines, like a wolf keeping an eye on her pack. The little metaphor made him smile as he made sure to keep his gaze on her, anticipating for the time she turned around to acknowledge his presence.

She had changed into something more formal this time, the sweatpants and a tank top from last night nowhere to be found. Instead she was clad in the same jeans she came here with and he noticed the white buttoned down shirt she chose to wear for the day. It was still far more different from her usual dress suits and it was a nice change for him since he realized that casual clothes did suit her. Her body was pretty good, he had to admit, and that shirt looked like it was custom tailored for her tiny waist as her enticing curves traveled downward to her perfect-

 _Oh my god Robin, stop looking at her ass_.

He turned his gaze away from her, the moment he caught himself on the sinful act. Not only was it disrespectful but they were also accompanying the whole class and it would take one student to turn around and realize that their English teacher was checking out their principal's ass.

He shook his head, horrified by the mere thought of it.

However before he had a chance to distract himself away from her, like he had so fruitlessly tried to do for the past hour, he realized that her pace was getting slower and she was purposely falling behind the group.

It didn't take long before they were side by side as she fell into step with him. He tried his best not to make any unusual remarks, half afraid by the fact that it would only make her run away again so keeping his eye straight on the students before them, he kept walking.

They hiked for a while in comfortable silence as Archie kept on shouting various terms from the front of the group, loud enough for everyone to pay attention to, except for Robin of course who was hyper aware of the woman walking beside him.

Was he supposed to say something? He could always make small talk, he thought to himself. He could talk about the weather. But on second thought that seemed like a pretty bad idea considering the weather absolutely sucked and she had to sleep curled up against him just to avoid freezing to death. Archie was lousy at picking a date for this field trip.

Or maybe, Robin though, he could talk about school. He could tell her about the papers he had to grade by next week or funny things happened in class. But a voice inside him told him to shut up even before he dared to open his mouth. She was probably bored of school, she was running the place after all. Why would she want to hear of it in the middle of a camping trip?

Maybe he could talk about the-

"Thank you."

He jumped by the sound of her voice as he quickly turned to look at her, just to make sure that she was addressing _him_. And by the stare he got from her in return, he realized that indeed she was. Regina Mills was talking to Robin.

"What for?" he found himself asking, their conversations only loud enough for both of them to hear. The students were too engrossed in Archie's class anyway.

"For last night." She spoke before averting her gaze like she was deliberately avoiding eye contact. "I was cold and…"

"Oh." Robin quickly got the point, having no intention of making her any more uncomfortable than she already was. "It was nothing."

"No." she interrupted him. "It was something. I was… I didn't like uhm…" she tried to find the right words for it but failing, she kept going, hoping he'd understood. "And you handled it pretty well. Not everyone would do what you did."

When those words left her lips, Robin only raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning to face her. Their pace was even slower now and they were falling behind the group but Robin realized that he didn't care at all as he continued to stare wide eyed to the woman who was walking next to him. He even saw the faintest of smiles on her lips but he quickly convinced himself that he was imagining it.

"So this is you actually thanking me?" he found himself asking, and quickly wished he could take it back.

Her reaction however was not a sneer or a roll of eyes, instead she did something he would never think that she would and she smiled. For a moment, Robin thought if someone had slipped something to his drink during breakfast that morning.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" she asked, eyeing him playfully.

"A bit yes." He nodded. "Or I'm just so used to you yelling at me that I never stop to consider the chances of you actually thanking me."

"That's because you never follow protocol." The little irritation was momentarily back on her eyes before she quickly brushed it off. "It's not often that you do something right."

"If cuddling with you in a dirty tent is called doing something right, then by all means, I would love to follow that protocol more often." That was it, he shamelessly flirted with her and it was too late to take it back.

Instead of a burning stare, the only thing he got was another playful smile accompanied by a roll of her beautiful brown eyes.

"I mean it, Robin." She repeated before she turned to take a look at him once more. "Thank you."

Her lips were parted, she was flushed from hiking and her expression had a bit of a softness that Robin had not quite seen before but in that moment he realized that he liked that look on her. So instead of giving her a reply, he maintained their short eye contact before giving her the faintest of nods. It meant much more than 'you're welcome' or 'no problem', no, in his mind it meant that no matter the circumstances, he would do the same thing anytime, anywhere. He just hoped to God that she'd get the message.

And a few moments later, not being able to stop himself, he tried something he promised himself not to, considering how risky it can be, but he leaned to his side before gently but intentionally brushing his arm against hers.

She did not flinch nor did she take a step away from him.

In that moment, Robin realized that he had torn down one of her walls.

#

If this had been a date, then it would have been the perfect time for Robin to casually brush his hand against hers before taking a hold of it and intertwining their fingers together. But no, the woman who walked next to him with a concentrated look on his face was still the woman who signed his paychecks so he told his mind to shut up and keep walking.

Who knew how much damage he would inflict upon their already shaky relationship by actually holding her hand? Besides, who said she was interested in him anyways? Sure she had let him come close to her last night but Robin was almost sure that it was a one-time thing and that he wasn't getting anywhere near her or her body for a very long time.

For the past fifteen minutes or so, after their small talk and her brief thanks to him (which he had already replayed in his mind a countless times) Robin's thoughts stayed completely focused on her so hard that he didn't even realize when Archie led them deeper into the woods.

This part of the forest was thick with trees and Robin only realized it when he had difficulty walking. His casual stroll on the grass had turned into a quest to try and pass through the various trees and branches without tripping and falling down and he turned to his side to watch Regina do the same. Although her attempts were a bit funnier compared to his and he could tell she wasn't used to nature at all.

"Don't you dare." She spoke as she spotted the half smirk on his lips.

"I didn't say anything." He replied, trying to prevent himself breaking into laughter as he watched her brush away a branch that was sticking to her face.

So both of them were startled when they heard a voice call out to them.

"Mr. Locksley, Miss Mills!"

Robin quickly turned to the source of the voice and it wasn't long before he spotted David trying to part the group in order to reach his two teachers.

"David, what is it?" Regina was first to respond, her voice instantly switching back to the tone she reserved only for her students.

"It's Mary Margaret," the boy spoke, once he reached them. He was already panting and Robin could see fear radiating from his eyes. "I can't find her."

The whole group had come to a halt once they realized that something was wrong and Archie was already making his way towards Robin and Regina in a hurry.

"Calm down, take a deep breath." Robin put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What do you mean you can't find her?"

"She was walking by me one second and then she was gone the next!" David spoke, now visibly shaking. His friends, Killian and Emma were already beside him as they desperately tried to comfort him. It was no use, David was already panicked.

Robin's eyes momentarily left him only to give a quick once over to the group of students before him as he came to the realization that he was right, Mary Margaret was really gone. Panic also began to set through him but he tightened his hold on David's shoulder before taking a deep breath. He had no right to be panicking after all; he was supposed to be the one in control.

His gaze immediately went to Regina and he wasn't surprised to see her staring back at him with complete and utter shock crowding her features. She was also alarmed just like he was but she did a way better job hiding it.

Their eye contact was brief and but it conveyed everything Robin needed to know. She nodded once, eyes wide with terror and he didn't need to be told once.

"I'm on my way." He quickly spoke before hurrying off.

The trees got even thicker as he moved forward, one hand brushing away the stubborn branches that threatened to poke him in the eye as he took step after step, eyes roaming over the giant forest just to catch a glimpse of the lost girl. It hadn't been that long since they realized that she was gone, and even though they were in the wild, Robin knew the place wasn't dangerous. He neither took Biology nor Earth Science but something in his gut that he couldn't quite place assured him that the woods did not have anything to hide. Mary Margaret was safe somewhere, he just did not know where.

Closing his eyes, he took a moment to feel the cool breeze against his face as he forced his mind to think. Where could she be? Robin did not believe the girl was in danger, as a matter of fact, he was almost sure that she had gone wandering around somewhere. Mary Margaret was someone who could be distracted the moment she heard the soft sound of rain drizzling outside the building and she would forget all about the class in a second. Robin had always found himself calling out her name in order to get her mind back to his class. So it was only normal for a girl like her to forget all about their hike and wander off somewhere.

His train of thought was interrupted when he first heard the distant sound of water. Quickly opening his eyes, he located the source of the sound before walking towards that direction, guessing it to be a little creek somewhere buried in the forest. Speeding up his pace, he pushed the various tree branches away and it wasn't long before he spotted the little river. But his heart skipped a beat in his chest when his eyes caught the glimpse of a girl lying by the water.

It was Mary Margaret, and she was most definitely on the ground.

Panic pierced through his chest as he took in a deep breath before running over to the girl but he was way to engulfed in his actions that he didn't hear her calling out his name, accompanied by a sudden warning.

"Mr. Locksley! Be careful, there's a-

She did not get to finish those words.

Before he knew it, Robin's foot hit a sharp rock and he tripped before falling down himself. Though unlike Mary Margaret, his arms shot up to break his fall the last minute as he closed his eyes and felt the impact.

"…rock." The poor girl completed her sentence, now raising her head to check on her teacher who was lying a few inches away from her. Her eyes instantly filled with worry.

"Found it…" Robin spoke after a beat, before slowly raising himself back up.

First thing he felt was a sharp pain coming from his arms. However ignoring his current state of health, his eyes immediately went to the girl lying before him, happy to find her very much conscious. She seemed to be okay except for the deep cut on her leg as she struggled to clean the wound with her hands, eyes watching him just to make sure if he was okay.

"No, don't touch it." He quickly warned her. "It might get infected."

She instantly drew her hands away from the wound but when Robin tried to stand up, he winced. His eyes immediately went to his arms, as he brought them closer to take a better look. Rolling up his sleeves, he examined his skin and was surprised to see various small cuts decorating his arm. As far as he could tell, there was also another, deeper, cut on his bicep since he could sense the sharp pain radiating from it but deciding that taking off his shirt was a luxury he couldn't afford at the moment, he gave up. He had scraped his arms on the small, pointy rocks on the ground and it was completely his fault for not paying more attention to where he was going.

"You okay?" he then asked Mary Margaret, standing up and coming closer to the girl before he crouched down and examined the wound himself.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." She paused, however when Robin's questioning gaze fell upon hers, she began to explain herself. "There was a bird, and it was so pretty… so I followed it and then-

"Point taken." Robin sighed to himself with a soft smile playing his lips. He so knew that this was going to happen. Mary Margaret was once again chasing a pretty little thing that had her distracted and she had tripped on her way over here.

"Can you walk?"

The girl tried to make a move to stand up but winced in pain right after.

"Alright, just hold on to me." With that he leaned forward before placing a hand on her back as his arm went to the back of her knees. Seconds later, he picked her up.

It hadn't even been more than fifteen minutes when he found his way back to the group with a very worried Mary Margaret in his arms, though the voice in him said that she was more scared of the principal than the actual cut on her leg which might or might not get infected. Even the thought of it was enough to make him roll his eyes. The woman was not a monster for God's sake.

As he slowly approached the students, he first spotted Archie; running back and forth among the group, making sure that no one else was getting lost. Everyone seemed to be panicking now that Mary Margaret was gone, as he heard various shouts of predictions as to her whereabouts. Some kids were even betting on a kidnapper as some made up stories about how she had screamed before she was brutally taken away. Robin couldn't help but to scoff as he made his way to the small crowd.

He didn't know why, maybe it was an instinctive thing but it was Regina who sensed his presence first before turning to look at him. They made a brief eye contact, she didn't move but her gaze switched back and forth between him and the girl in her arms then she took a step back and sighed in relief, eyes quietly thanking him. Moments later, rest of the group noticed the two and before he knew it, students were running towards him with a very relieved David leading them.

#

It was a chilly night but if one was to sit close enough to the campfire that was once again set up by Mr. Hopper for the night; they would be enveloped by the delicious warmth radiating from it. That was exactly what the majority of the students did as they relaxed, wrapped in blankets, on the logs placed strategically around the campfire. It was right after dinner and students had fallen into deep conversations. The collaborative game spirit from last night had already come to an end and everyone was just content with being in their friends' company.

Yes, everyone had a pleasant smile on their faces except of course for their principal. She was busy with Mary Margaret, one of her beloved students even though she refused to admit that any student could be beloved to her, as she tended to the cut on her leg. And once again, Robin was watching the interaction from across the campfire, now starting to feel like a creep for spying on her boss. Every time his eyes landed on her, he had to pull himself back to reality and remind himself that it was absolutely and utterly rude to stare. However, every time he tried to focus his attention back on his book, he found himself getting distracted by a small sound or even a small breeze and that was enough for his eyes to pop back up to where the principal was seated right across from him.

Thankfully for them, Regina was the only sensible person in the whole camp to actually remember to bring a med kit and somehow, but also not surprisingly, she also knew her way around first aid and deciding that Mary Margaret's situation was manageable, she settled on treating the girl's injuries by the campfire before advising her to see a doctor the day after, since it was already their last night there. Mary Margaret nodded obediently before turning to her boyfriend.

The minute Robin saw Regina stand up, his gaze immediately went back to the pages before him, pretending not to even notice her presence around the campfire. Yes he was supposed to be reading anyways, definitely, reading-

"How could you read without your glasses on?"

His head immediately shot up to find the same woman he was quietly gazing at, standing in front of him with a hand on her hip.

"I'm trying this new technique…" he started, all of a sudden getting jumpy. Did she even see him looking at her? "…that if you hold it really far away and squint your eyes a little…"

"Don't think I didn't notice the cut on your arm on our way here." She cut him off before he even had a chance to finish his excuse, though he had no idea where he was going with it anyways.

"Did you?" his eyes went to his upper arm and he could clearly see his shirt being a little torn; a small souvenir from his rescue mission.

"Follow me." She ordered in a commanding tone that left no room for excuses.

"Yes, ma'am." He immediately stood up, the book already forgotten somewhere by his bag pack.

Much to his surprise, she led them to the exact tent they had shared the night before and he forced himself to forget all the memories which were now flooding back, and focus on the woman before him. She unzipped the tent before going in and he found himself following right behind without having any clue as to what she was actually up to.

She left the tent flap open, as they sat down opposite from each other since standing up in the damn tent was not an option. Though because of the size of the tent, they sat especially close to each other and Robin found himself making sure that he wasn't touching her in any way. A misunderstanding was the last thing he needed at the moment no matter how relaxed she was now when it came to his touch.

"Take off your shirt." She spoke and she dig into her small med kit, way too focused on the task at hand to even notice Robin raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Never thought I'd heard you say that." He remarked before bringing his hands to unbutton his shirt.

"Yeah well, dreams do come true." She murmured, not really paying attention to him as she shuffled through her med kid, desperately trying to find the bandages she had just put in minutes ago.

"What makes you think it wasn't a nightmare?" he bit back, fighting the smirk off his lips. He always did love getting on her nerves after all.

The tent was illuminated by the soft light coming from the campfire and Robin could still make out her face so he didn't miss it when she rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond. At that point the shirt was already off, discarded somewhere in the small tent and he was sitting right in front of her with a sleeveless shirt.

"Look, if I hear that kind of thing one more time…" she started but she came to a complete halt when she looked up and the words died in her throat. For this once, they did not make eye contact since it wasn't Robin's eyes that caught Regina's attention, no, this time her gaze was stuck on his arms and chest.

He watched her watch him as his gaze switched back and forth between her face and his own body. Wait. Was she distracted? Was _he_ the one distracting him?

Was she enjoying the view?

Robin's heart skipped a beat in his chest as his lips curved into a small smile. Her gaze was still hungrily roaming over his arms and when he finally let out a chuckle, she jumped back to reality.

"You'll do what exactly?"

"Do what? Uhm, what?" her voice was already hoarse and she immediately cleared her throat after as her gaze went up to meet his.

"If you hear that kind of thing one more time, you'll do what?" he repeated his question, enjoying the reaction he was pulling out of her. This was just way too good to be true.

"I'll uhm…" she shook her head, trying to focus. "I'll demote you to janitor."

"Being a janitor is also a very rewarding job, Leroy wouldn't like you talk about it like that." He teased, eyes never once leaving hers. And it was having a kind of an effect on her he couldn't quite tell but she immediately turned her eyes away from his like she was caught doing something wrong.

"Alright Karl Marx, if you're done talking I'm gonna need you to hold out your arms."

He nodded, his smile never once leaving his lips as he slowly held out his arms in front of him which were covered in small scrapes and bruises. Crossing his legs, he rested his elbows on his knees which gave her a full access to the cuts as her gaze roamed over his arms, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"Hope you're not sensitive to physical contact as I was or else we're gonna be here a while." She remarked quietly before picking up a water soaked cloth.

So she can joke? Robin instantly let out a chuckle as his eyes lit up with playfulness.

"Would you indulge me if I'd say yes?"

"But then I knew you'd be lying." She replied, giving him a subtle smile.

"What makes you say that?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows in question though he already knew the answer.

"Because…" she spoke and suddenly placed a hand on his arm, fingers coming to curl around his wrist. He sucked in a sharp breath and met her eyes. "…you like my touch."

"Seems like the feeling's mutual since you're now so comfortable around it." He instantly bit back, enjoying the feel of having her slender fingers dance around his wrist.

"Guess I have you to thank for it." She said softly before withdrawing her hand.

Her touch was immediately replaced by a wet towel as he gasped at the sudden feeling of it. All she did was to smile upon seeing his brief reaction before she started cleaning every scrape, every little cut he had on his arms no matter how minor they looked. He watched her hands for a minute before speaking.

"I never congratulated you." He said, voice cutting through their brief and yet comfortable silence.

"For?" she asked without lifting her gaze away from her task.

"For getting the job." He said and that's when she looked up to meet his gaze, lips parting slightly. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." She replied softly, her attention switching back to his arms as she started putting small bandages on the scrapes she deemed serious. Though none of it was and Robin was going to take them off the day after but she didn't know that yet.

"It wasn't a hard job to get really," she added, going through the med kid for more bandages, "Mr. King was fired all too suddenly and they were looking for an immediate replacement. I was happened to be available."

"Leopold King?" he asked, curious to know if she knew the guy. Robin had worked for him for many years and even though they had many disagreements, it was way too easier for Robin to get Leopold to agree on something. All it took was subtle little manipulations and the guy would be where he wanted him. "I always wondered why the county fired him."

She became tense even with the mention of his name and he could tell she didn't have much good memories with him.

"Some mismanagement issues," she explained briefly, as she placed the last bandage on his arm but her fingers did not leave his body yet. "And there were some harassment suits."

"Law suits? From whom?" he asked, suddenly his eyes growing wide.

"Oh just a few teachers," she cleared her throat, trying to seem all too casual about it but the slight tremble in her voice betraying her altogether. "And me."

"You?!" his voice came out a bit higher than he expected as he looked back at her, completely dumbfounded by her sudden revelation. "But, how? When? You didn't even work here."

"There was this conference…" she replied, avoiding his eyes like she had committed some crime. Her voice was barely above a whisper and Robin felt her hands involuntarily tightening around his wrists. He immediately curled his fingers around her arm, encouraging her to go on. But of course, it wasn't that easy. It was never that easy with Regina Mills.

"Can we change the subject?" she suddenly said, withdrawing her hand away from his grasp to shuffle through her small med kit.

"Regina." But he wasn't letting go of this that easily, not without getting that one answer he needed from her. His hand came to rest on her arm and when he got her attention, she looked up, eyes betraying her stoic stance.

" _Sexual_ harassment?" he suddenly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Her reply was short and yet soft.

"Yes."

He immediately withdrew his hand away, afraid that even one touch would break her. The progress he had made last night was long forgotten as he looked at her, horrified by what she had just confessed him.

"Anyways," she cleared her throat and let out a brief smile, in order to dissolve the tension in the air. "He got fired and I don't-

She quickly corrected herself. "We don't have to see him ever again. Now… let's get down to business."

He was still way too stunned to even understand the meaning behind her words and when she pointed at his upper arm and raised her eyebrows, that's when he let out a soft 'oh' before leaning over to her slightly and putting his arm in front of him.

There was still an ugly gash on his bicep and _that_ needed to be cleaned more than the mild bruises on his arms.

Content with him being ever so cooperative, Regina squinted to get a better look at the cut on his arm. But it was located right on the side of his bicep and the lightening in the tent was incredibly poor so Robin watched as she rose to her knees and leaned forward a bit, in order to get a better view.

Suddenly Robin found a very concentrated Regina hovering over him and he was lying if he said it didn't cause some subtle changes in his breathing. But still, his mind was on the secret she had just revealed to him and he found himself speaking up before he had a chance to stop himself.

"Regina, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." He looked up to her and he was surprised to watch her lips curve into a soft smile.

"No one knew," she nodded, leaning even closer to his wound before bringing the wet cloth over to his skin to clean it. "But thanks to a very _witty_ English teacher and his jokes, I forgot all about it."

His mind instantly darted back to the first time he was introduced to her in the teacher's conference room. He remembered how he had difficulty tearing his gaze away from her, just like all the other male (and even some female) teachers in the room as he tried his chance at a couple of lame jokes in order to get her to warm up a bit. But of course he was way too obvious at hitting on her and his pathetic attempts had results in weird stares and a roll of eyes on her part. He still cringed when he remembered that horrid day.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to apologize to you for that day too." He suddenly confessed, averting his gaze away from her. But when he looked straight ahead, a very beautiful view of the principal's cleavage blocked him so he instantly looked back up. He did not want to be caught staring at her one more time, especially staring… _there_.

"I was hitting on you and uhm…" he swallowed. "I'm very sorry."

"You weren't the only one." She shrugged, standing so close to him that he felt her breath on his neck every time she spoke. "Though I would be lying if I said I didn't find it amusing."

"But you didn't laugh at my jokes."

"Because they weren't funny." She bit back, fighting off a smile.

His eyes widened in surprise and he leaned back a little to get a better view of her face. She had a smug smile on her lips and he found himself wanting to kiss it off.

Kiss it? What the hell, Robin, shut up.

"Has anyone told you that you were rude?" he said instead, thinking his words right now were better than his stupid actions.

"Yes as a matter of fact, you did," she said before leaning back to grab a bandage. "Many times."

He just shook his head in amusement in return as she put the bandage on the wound, so carefully that he wasn't even sure if he felt her touch on his skin. Leaning back a bit, she admired her work before sitting back down on her knees and closing the med kit.

"Thank you." He said softly after a brief pause.

He watched her nod in return, like it was a mandatory thing for her to do, and not a simple favor.

"Wouldn't want one of my teachers to get an infection and die," she said shrugging before turning to look at him. "It's hard to find a new employee these days."

"Thank you also for pretending not to care about me." He replied with a smug smile.

"Anytime," she smiled and she made a move to leave the tent but before she could crawl out, his voice stopped her dead in tracks.

"Where do you plan to sleep tonight?"

Robin watched her turn back and shrug before looking around his tent. When her eyes landed back on his, she had a soft smile playing her lips.

"I was thinking, here."


	8. Chapter 8

"Are they finally asleep?" Robin asked from where he was lying as he listened to the soft rain that had started just minutes ago. One hand propped up on his elbow, his blue eyes raised up to meet the exhausted stare on Regina's face.

She nodded before crawling into the tent and sitting down on her knees. "Took me a while, but I finally managed to convince Ruby that there weren't any snakes in her tent."

Robin only scoffed and rolled his eyes before lying back down on his pillow, facing the ceiling.

"It's raining." He remarked quietly as the raindrops hit the tent, creating a beautiful sound that he found himself getting lost into.

"It's only normal in this weather." Regina replied without looking up at Robin as she grabbed her duffel bag from the corner of the tent and began shuffling through it. "If this turns into a storm, we might have to wait a little while tomorrow before hitting the road."

Robin just nodded in return as he watched her go through her bag. "Is it bad of me to hope that it does?"

"Does what?" she asked, not really paying attention to his words. However, and rather suddenly, she dropped whatever she was holding in her hand to finally look back up at Robin. "You want a rain storm?"

He once again propped himself on his elbows to get a better look at her confused face. A man had a right to defend himself. "I like rain; I'd find it rather… romantic, actually."

"If this…" she raised her head and pointed upward "…turns into storm, it will take time for us to pack considering all the tents we need to disassemble. It'll also take while to get on the road, and that depends on whether or not it's safe to drive. We will also arrive past schedule, and we'll have a lot of angry parents awaiting us. Well, at least awaiting me since this is all my responsibility to begin with. So, how is that for _romance_?" she finished with a sarcastic smile.

"Not the romance I've had in mind, actually, but I see your point."

"Now turn around, I gotta change." With that, she grabbed the t-shirt from the duffel bag along with her sweat pants.

"Here?"

"I am staying here, aren't I?"

Robin closed his mouth and nodded once before laying back down and turning around. He tried really hard not to focus on the fact that Regina was probably half-naked right behind him, but he immediately closed his eyes and shook the thought off his mind.

Moments later, he felt her lay down beside him and he took it as his cue to turn around.

"Still cold?" he asked her after a while as his heart skipped a beat in his chest. He didn't know what to expect from this conversation, but he watched her as she shifted her head on the pillow before turning to look at him.

"I'm fine, the rain started when I was coming into the tent, and I had been wearing a long sleeve-

She suddenly paused before raising her eyebrows as she gazed deep into his eyes. Lips parted in surprise, and she lifted her head up a bit in order to get a better look at him, who in return stared back confused.

"What?" he asked, noticing the change in her.

" _You_ 're cold." She suddenly remarked, lips curving into an amused smile.

"I'm not cold, look at me," he said, gesturing his sleeveless, t-shirt clad body and the covers which were resting on his stomach. He was definitely not cold.

"You're not _cold_ cold.'" She rolled her eyes. "You want to snuggle. You liked cuddling with me the other day; you want to do it again."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Robin lay there, suddenly stunned by her observation. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out of it. His hand went to the blanket covering his body as he grabbed the material before crumbling it under his fist, hoping to inject whatever tension that had just burst in his body into the poor blanket. After a short pause, he calmly dropped the material before feigning an innocent expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Well as a matter of fact, he did. He had variety of ideas, but he preferred to keep them to himself.

"God, I can't believe you got so caught up in this!" She exclaimed; though instead of anger, she had amusement in her eyes. She let out a carefree giggle before supporting herself on her elbow to take a better look at him.

Robin expected fear, anger, anything else, but what he did not expect was a very playful Regina laying inches away from him with a full blown smile on her lips. And most of all, he did not expect to be mocked. He had always been ready to counter her angry or commanding comments with his sarcastic ones, ready to handle whatever she threw in his way, but as he lay there, staring up at her with confusion in his eyes, he realized he was not ready to handle this at all.

And that's when Robin realized that he was hurt.

"I didn't… I was just asking." He muttered quickly, knowing it would have no effect on her whatsoever.

"So what now? You won't be able to go to sleep by yourself?" She giggled once more, one hand coming to trace circles on his upper arm in a mocking way. "Or, would you like me to get one of the students to read a bed time story for you?"

"You know what, Regina, I didn't make fun of you when you were cold last night." He frowned, feeling the sadness setting deep in his stomach.

"Oh I'm sorry, would have preferred poetry? What was the name of the guy you read to your ex-wife?"

"Regina, don't go there." He warned, trying to keep calm.

"Wordsworth!"

"Regina!"

His sharp voice cut through the rain like a knife and Regina gasped before leaning back a little as she immediately withdrew the hand on his arm. The amusement on her face was wiped away in a matter of seconds as they held onto their eye contact, though Robin's gaze was now a bit firmer.

"You can make fun of me all you want but for the love of God," he paused before taking a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice came out a lot softer. "Don't use the story I told to see you smile and relax in my arms because that's just…"

It hurts me.

But those words never left his mouth. Instead of completing his sentence, he turned his eyes away from her, desperate to avoid her stare which were burning holes in him.

"Goodnight," he then said softly, his voice filled with disappointment. Without giving her a second look, he laid back down before turning to face away from her.

Once his back was turned against her, he closed his eyes, his jaw tightening angrily. But no, closing his eyes was not enough; he squeezed them shut just so maybe he can forget her presence in the tent. Though he knew that it was impossible, her existence now bothered him more than usual, and her words pierced through his chest.

As the heartbreak, he came to realize, settled even deeper in his stomach and he battled to embrace it, he tried to at least force himself to relax a little and go to sleep no matter how unlikely that sounded. He already guessed Regina to be annoyed because of his sudden out break and he guessed her to be curled up right behind him, even though he desperately tried to avoid thinking about her current situation. Because the more he thought about her, the more it hurt him.

What he did not expect, though, was her gentle touch on his back.

Before he had a chance to turn around, he felt her snake a hand around his waist; she pressed herself deeper against his back and rested her face in the crook on his neck. He gasped at the sudden contact, but in order to understand her intentions, he did not move a muscle as she raised her leg to rest her knee on his hip until she spooned him from behind.

"I like Wordsworth." She quickly spoke against his neck, her breath tickling his skin. "I read a poem of his. What was it called…" she paused for a minute, "London, something-"

"London, 1802." He completed for her, still not turning to look.

"Exactly! I was so impressed by the whole thing; it made me want to see England." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Regina, that poem is about freedom and power."

"Well I was in high school, I was impressed by any pretty thing my English teacher threw my way."

"Actually, Wordsworth was pretty mad that his poems were creating more of an aesthetic influence rather than social influence, so I don't think he would-"

Her hand on his midriff grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled at the material in her hand a bit, an indication for him to shut up.

"Will you let me finish?"

He could feel her smile against his neck, and he nodded before giving her his full attention.

"I begged my father to let me visit England, but he always said no," she finished; he could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"So you never did?" He couldn't help but ask after a beat.

She shook her head before pressing herself even closer to him and his hand came to rest on top of hers on his stomach.

"Robin, this…" and then, she tightened her grip on him, giving him a brief squeeze before speaking again, "Is inappropriate. It is wrong because we work together."

Although he knew where this speech was going, and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, deep down he knew that she was right. So in order to hold on to the memory of her a little bit longer, he tightened his grip on her hand and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his ear, and for a moment, he thought that she was going to kiss his neck. Instead, she lightly brushed her lips against his skin before giving him a one last squeeze around the stomach. Before he knew it, she was releasing her grasp on him.

He immediately missed the contact, but he also knew it was the right thing to do. With a sigh, he closed his eyes.

#

Robin did not know what woke him up.

Was it the sound of rain drops hitting the tent? The rain had gotten even stronger since he had gone to sleep hours ago but it was still a relaxing sound that pleased his ears.

Was it a bad dream? He tried to force his mind to remember but no, he had a dreamless night. Or was it-

No.

Opening his eyes even wider, he slowly looked down to the weight on his body to realize he wasn't so alone anymore. Regina who had given him a lecture about how inappropriate this was just hours ago was curled up on his chest, one hand wrapped around his stomach as her leg rested on top of his lower body. He was lying down on his back and she had her face buried in the crook of his neck, every breath she took tickling him into awakening.

But no, Robin was pretty sure that wasn't what had woken him up either. There was something else, he knew it, he just knew it.

Then he heard it.

Regina let out a low moan against his neck as she shuffled a bit before moving her hand up to rest on his chest.

Now, _that_ had awakened him.

He tried to sit up a bit; at least raise himself up enough to see Regina's face, but from what he could tell she was dead asleep. And besides, it was practically impossible to get up when you had this much weight on you anyways. One of his hands came to her hip as he tried to be comfortable in their position without waking her up but before he had any chance to go back to sleep, he heard it again.

Another moan, but this time longer and louder.

Robin jolted awake, his senses coming alive in a matter of seconds. This time, he actually did manage to raise his head a bit and look down in shock to Regina, who still had her eyes shut close. There was seriously something wrong with her.

The hand on her hip tightened as he tried to figure out what was going on with her. Was she having a nightmare? Should he be waking her up? What if she wasn't and he would end up embarrassing himself?

No, it would be wise to wait this out, hope that she'd calm down, and give himself a chance to catch up on some sleep.

But then of course, instead of calming down, she shuffled again and rubbed her crotch against the side of his leg, which elicited an even louder, high pitched moan from her.

His eyes widened in shock.

Was she having a dirty dream?

No, no, no, no, this was absolutely and utterly wrong. Weren't they _just_ discussing how wrong and inappropriate this was? And now she was having a sex dream on top of him and grinding against him while doing so? No, this was completely unacceptable.

The other completely unacceptable thing was how turned on Robin was getting, and when he felt the movement in his pants, his hold on Regina immediately tightened.

"Regina," he tried whispering.

No, she had to wake up. This was not happening. Absolutely not. NO!

"Regina!" He tried whispering one more time, rubbing his fingers on her hip, but the action had the opposite of the desired effect as he accidentally caused her tank top to roll up a little. His fingers came in contact with her bare skin.

And to his great fortune, an unconscious Regina had taken it as a sign, and she now let out a softer cry against his neck, hand coming to take a hold of his shirt as she grinded herself against him in order to find the friction her body was seeking.

God, this was so wrong.

"Regina, please." He whispered against her one more time, and to his relief, it worked. It actually worked.

Suddenly she was shifting again, and before he knew it, she rolled on to her back, letting Robin free in the process as she wiggled her nose all the while without once waking up. They were not cuddled up together anymore, and the moans had stopped. Robin let out a sigh of relief.

Crisis averted.

Then suddenly her hand left the pillow and slid downwards before finding her crotch over her pants.

CRISIS NOT AVERTED.

Robin suddenly felt himself panic as cold sweat began to drip down his forehead. Unlike his previous attempts at waking her up, he was now completely frozen in place, unable to speak or do anything. He watched in wide-eyed shock as she rubbed herself once over her sweatpants before letting out another luxurious moan.

It seemed like everything in the goddamn tent was alive. Regina was alive with sensation, and his erection was certainly awake. Everything was alive except for his brain; no, Robin's brain was absolutely and utterly dead. It was like it had short-circuited, and he felt like he was just beginning to wake up from a brutal car crash.

He watched the scene play out before him in slow-motion; Regina cried out once more before grinding against her hand. She was still asleep. He could tell that much, but her teeth sank down to her lower lip as she moaned in pleasure. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was getting heavier with each passing second and now she was shifting and shuffling even more, seeking out friction.

Robin did not know what to do. He was completely and utterly lost.

Watching the scene unravel before him, Robin knew that this seemed absolutely wrong. He felt horrible for even staring at her but his muscles refused to move an inch as he sat there, frozen, and altogether baffled by what was actually taken place.

He felt like he should wake her up, but he knew that that would only result in embarrassing her. He could already imagine how it would go: wake her up with her hand down there, stroking herself and it would end with an absolute disaster as she avoided him in embarrassment for the rest of her life. No, that was the last thing he wanted; especially after how much he worked to get her to relax around him.

He could turn around and pretend that this was all not happening. Ignorance was bliss after all but was he really the kind of guy who would just laid there and did nothing while his boss accidentally masturbated just inches away from him? His conscious wouldn't allow him to do that.

It was an impossible scenario, and the longer he contemplated on what to do, the more his eyes stayed glued to the scene before him as Regina breathed hard and rubbed herself against her hand.

Robin was beginning to lose all coherent thought. His lips were parted as he felt his mouth going dry, making him feel even more horrible for spying on something like this. Even worse, he did not want to spy at all!

Maybe he could leave the tent? But no, the rain was getting even stronger; besides, Regina was the one sleeping next to the tent flap, and trying to leave her would definitely wake her up.

Another moan pierced through the night, and Robin fought hard not to put a hand on his own pants and relieve the pressure that'd been building up. But no, this that would be completely unethical, and he had never been that kind of guy.

He was getting more frustrated and hopeless with each passing second, and as he sat there, frozen, unable to think of anything, Regina let out another cry but this time instead of pausing, her moans became continuous. She took sharp, short breaths between each sound she made, her voice getting stronger and louder. She bit into her lower lip even harder before letting out one last cry.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

That was the hottest and most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

But also, SHIT.

Her orgasm woke her up, but before she could gain consciousness, Robin did the only sensible thing he could think of, and he lay back down before turning around and closing his eyes shut. His heart was beating so hard in his chest that he could practically hear it, and he silently prayed that the whole thing would go completely unnoticed by her.

The first thing he heard was an exhausted sigh, but then she spoke and his breath got caught in his throat.

"God, not this again…"

Robin swallowed hard and vowed himself not to open his eyes at least for the next 48 hours because he did not think he could face her ever again. So this was something that had happened on a regular basis? And she was used to it?

He listened to her wipe her hand on her sweatpants even though she hadn't exactly touched herself. God, that was the worst. If she was able to come just by a few strokes over clothing, how sensitive she really was? He quickly shook the thought away from his mind and reminded himself her last words right before she had gone to bed. Very, very inappropriate!

But all of a sudden, he heard her pause and felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Robin?" she whispered ever so gently. "Please be asleep."

The last part was spoken more to herself, but in that moment, Robin was desperately trying to be asleep. But of course, every follicle in his body was alive and screaming.

"Robin?" she tried one more time, and he refused to move a muscle. If she thought that he didn't see a thing, then all their problems would be gone. Everything would have been back to normal.

If she had thought that….

A very big _if_ ….

But then again, she was a physics teacher.

"Robin," she suddenly said, her voice coming out louder. "You're breathing heavily, and you're clutching that blanket. I can see that you're awake."

He panicked, but desperately tried to keep his eyes closed still thinking he might be able to fake his way out of the situation. But then, her hand tightened on his shoulder, and he accidentally swallowed.

"Oh my God, you're awake…" her voice was merely a whisper. "You saw that." She remarked in shock, and then suddenly, she got up and unzipped the tent.

"Regina, wait!" He turned around the last minute only to watch her leave the tent in a hurry.

Goddamn it!

It was the middle of the night, and there was a rainstorm outside. He didn't even begin to imagine how cold it was, but Regina had already flown out of the tent and Robin was cursing like a drunken sailor. He didn't know how he found his shoes, but without bothering to put on a coat or anything, he sprinted out of the tent himself.

He caught a sight of her running out of the camp and going deeper into the woods as he started running after her.

"Regina!" he yelled once more but she ran even faster.

She did not know her way around the forest, it was incredibly cold and Robin was worried out of his mind. The only he thing he knew was that if he lost her, then she would either get lost or do something crazy. Robin also knew what would happen if the word of this got out and the students found out.

Hell, if the county found out that a chaperon teacher had left the students in a camp in the middle of the night and ran into the woods, she might even got fired. The last thought, had him sprinting after her as he desperately called out her name into the night.

"Regina, please! You need to stop!"

It was completely dark out and he could barely see where he was going, and he just hoped to God that they would be able to find their way back. The rain had wetted his shirt and the material was now clung to his body and with the amount of wind, he was almost sure that it was going to be impossible to avoid a cold the next day but none of those thoughts mattered to him as he ran after her, both of them getting lost deeper into the woods.

"Stop!"

Then all of a sudden she did.

She stopped running, and Robin came to a halt just few feet away from her, both of them panting in exhaustion. The only thing they could hear was the rainstorm, now blurred into a long, whirling noise as droplets of water dripped from Robin's chin to his chest. Regina stood, her back turned against him but after a beat, she slowly turned around to face him. Her hair was dripping wet and she had an unreadable expression on her face.

Suddenly she took quick, long steps towards him, and then the sound of a slap echoed through the empty forest. Pain vibrated through his right cheek, and he winced in pain.

"I deserved that…" were the only words that left his mouth.

"How dare you?!" she then yelled, and Robin was glad that they were far away from the camp.

"Regina, I'm so sorry." He began and took a step towards her but when she took one back, he stayed glued to the ground. "I tried waking you up, I did but then I was frozen, I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." He let it all out in one breath, his eyes searching for at least some kind of emotion in her face.

However, she abruptly broke their eye contact before turning away from him once more. He held his breath, expecting her to do or say something but instead watched her pace back and forth in front of him, hands coming to cover her face. He could tell that she was angry and upset, but he could also tell that she was beyond embarrassed and that's what got to him the most.

"Regina, say something." He insisted, taking another step towards her.

"Who gave you the right?!" she suddenly exclaimed once more as she stopped pacing to get a better look at him. "How could you do that? How could just sit there and watch something like that?!"

"I didn't! It wasn't like that!"

"I can't believe you didn't do anything!" she yelled once more, the rain intensifying around them.

And when Regina stood inches away from him, accusing him of something he wanted no part of, he defended himself even though he knew how wrong it was.

"Well, what would you have me do? Wake you up with your hand down your pants?!" he yelled right back, now frustrated with her for not seeing his side of the story.

"You should have done the right thing!"

"And what would the _right thing_ be, exactly?" He crossed his arms in front of him and felt the cold shirt press against his chest.

The only answer he got from her was a growl before she turned away from him once more and resumed her pacing. Her hands came up to her hips, and he could tell she was fuming with anger.

"This is all your fault!" she started. "If it wasn't for you and... and… your stupid snuggling thing-"

"Hold on a second," he then interrupted her, and she quit pacing momentarily to turn to look at him in question. "What do you mean this is my fault?"

Then, something clicked in Robin's mind.

"Regina…" he spoke, eyes coming to meet hers in question. "Were you dreaming about me?"

"No!" her answer was too quick and loud for her liking and Robin watched her cringe immediately.

"Regina?" he urged her to tell the truth all the while trying to stop himself from smirking. Was she really dreaming about him? Was this situation not as hopeless as he thought it was?

"I don't know!" she finally let out before quickly adding. "I don't remember!"

"So… it _could_ have been about me?" he pointed a finger towards himself and raised his eyebrows in question.

"And it could have been about Archie Hopper, that's what 'I don't know' means!"

Robin only scoffed in return, ready to leave it all behind just for the sake of getting her back to safety. He extended one hand towards her.

"Come on, let's go back to the camp."

"No way!" she jumped away from his touch. "You must be crazy if you think I'm going back into that tent with you."

Now, he really felt himself beginning to get frustrated as he rolled his eyes. Yes, his boss had always been a little dramatic but this was getting too much, hell it was downright illogical.

"Regina it's 3 am, we have to go to sleep."

Instead of giving him an answer, she took a step back before curling her hands into fists. She was acting like a damn child, and Robin would have found it adorable if they weren't standing in the middle of a rainstorm and he could see her shivering.

"Do you know what will happen if someone notices that we're gone?" he suddenly asked her, his voice getting louder due to the rainstorm. "They'll tell Archie, and he'll have to put in the report. I don't need to remind you what happens when this gets into the report."

His words had the desired effect as he watched her part her lips and raised her gaze to meet his.

"I…" she started but nothing came out.

"How bad do you wanna get fired?"

When she stayed silent, he took it as his cue to walk up to her and was glad to see her not taking a step back. Instead she maintained their eye contact though he could tell how absolutely annoyed she was at him. It only made him give her a smug smile, knowing he had won.

"Can you walk or did you miss me carrying you?"

She growled at him before rolling her eyes in frustration. The wind was getting stronger and she raised her hand to brush of the wet hair that was now sticking to her face.

"I'll walk." Was her short answer before pushing him away and going back to the camp.

The walk had taken a bit longer than expected even though after some point Robin had walked past Regina, leading them back to the camp when he realized that she had no idea where they were going. His failed attempts at talking to her had only resulted in absolute silence coming from her part and he began feel even worse for spying on her. He could have just waked her up if it was going to end in this exact way minus the anger.

Once they found their way back and Robin spotted that their tent, he watched Regina part ways with him momentarily. After realizing that calling after her had no use, and knowing that she'd be wiser than to go back into forest, he crawled back into the tent before coming to lay down.

She was back in a matter of seconds but her hands were not empty.

"What are those?" he asked, raising himself up to throw a questioning glance at the various object that she was currently holding onto for dear life.

Without granting him an answer, she quickly began to place all kinds of rocks she had acquired around the campsite between them in a vertical line and before he knew it there was a barrier right in the middle of their small tent.

"Regina, are you-

"You cross this, you die." She replied sharply before lying back down and turning to face away from him.

"In my defense…" he started and watched as she turned her head to give him a deadly stare. "I wasn't the one jerking off in the first place."

He didn't get to add anything else since a rather large pebble hit him on the chest and he fell back down on the bed with a chuckle.

#

A set of icy blue eyes stared ahead, focused exactly on a specific spot. Then blinking in surprise for a few times, same eyes turned to the back to observe a completely different spot before turning to stare right ahead again. Switching his gaze back and forth for a few times, Killian sat back down with a frustrated sigh.

"Why aren't they sitting together?" he groaned as he turned to look at Emma sitting right next to him.

They were finally on the bus, going back to the school and everyone was half asleep (courtesy of being up so early) except for Killian who nudged Emma awake as she turned to look at him with an annoyed sigh.

"They were sitting next to each other on our way here, why aren't they now?!" he asked again as his gaze once again went back up to find the principal sitting right next to Mr. Hopper. He turned back to once again find Mr. Locksley sitting with a student, casually chatting about his book.

"Maybe it's because they don't like each other." Emma quietly observed.

"That's impossible!" Killian raised his voice and when everyone got startled and turned to look at him with questioning gazes, he told them to piss off which earned him a warning glare from the principal.

"He was making her laugh just the day before! They were almost holding hands during that hike, for God's sake!" his last words were let out in a shouting whisper as he turned to look at Emma.

"I don't know, it's not that easy to make adults fall in love." The blonde just shrugged in return. "Those things take time; at least that's what my mom told me."

"We gave them time!"

"We gave them two days." She rolled her eyes knowing how impatient young boys could be.

Killian just leaned back into his seat with a groan. Closing his eyes, he tried to come up with something, anything to get them back on the right track. "We need another plan…" he finally decided before raising himself up.

Supporting himself on his knees, he got up and turned around in his seat to find David and Mary Margaret sitting right next to each other on the seat right behind his and Emma's.

"Hey you two, we need another plan."

"Killian, I don't think that's a good idea…" Mary Margaret started but she was quickly interrupted when Killian's gaze left hers only to land on David who was busy staring out the window. He hadn't said a word since they had got on the bus and come to think of, he didn't react to anything Killian had said either.

"Wait, something's up with David…" he quickly observed and it was enough to bring David back to reality as he realized what was going on.

He quickly shook his head, looking guilty more than ever.

"David…" Killian warned the boy but before he had a chance to threaten him any further, he heard a sharp voice behind his back.

"Mr. Jones, sit back down! Don't make me come over there!"

"Yes, Miss Mills." He groaned and felt Emma pull his jacket down in order to get him to sit down on his seat.

He complied unwillingly and he was calm for a few minutes before frustration got the best of him and he got back up again to turn back in his seat. This time he pulled Emma back up with him as she stared at him incredulously with her mouth hanging open.

"Killian, Miss Mills said…" the blonde started but couldn't get to finish her sentence.

"The snitch knows something." Killian pointed at David as they looked down on the couple. "You didn't tell them what we did, did you?"

"No!" David quickly responded. "I would never do something like that!"

Ever the honorable knight… Killian scoffed.

"Then what happened?" he bent down a bit further, intimidating the boy with his stare. When David stayed silent, everyone got intrigued even Emma who was leaning a bit towards David, eyes wide with curiosity.

"David?" Mary Margaret put a hand on his leg, encouraging him to share.

David look around, checking to see if there was anyone who could hear them and after making sure that they had no eavesdroppers, he whispered to the group.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Yeah yeah we promise, now spill!" Killian said, thinking that if he had to wait any longer he was going to kill someone just to calm his nerves.

David took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I saw them."

"Saw who?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Miss Mills and Mr. Locksley." The boy whispered, heart beating frantically in his chest like he had been caught using his phone in class.

"What do you mean you saw them?" Killian quickly asked, his lips already turning into a grin. "You saw them together? You saw them kissing? What?" Oh this was too good to be true!

"Ssshhh!" David shut him up. They were already drawing enough attention with the two hovering over them on their seats anyways. Taking a breath, he spoke.

"I woke up to pee last night and I saw Miss Mills just… storming off of Mr. Locksley's tent and he followed her." He explained quietly.

"Then what?!" Emma asked, already invested so much in this story that she didn't care who else heard it.

"Then I followed them."

"YES!" Killian yelled and when everyone turned to give him a stern look including Miss Mills, he quickly wiped the grin off his face. "I mean, yay! We're going back to school!" he said in a loud and fake voice, trying to cover up.

Everyone rolled their eyes and the principal gave him a one last warning look before turning back to Archie.

"Ugh, this was such a wrong idea…" David then whined, putting a hand to cover up his face. Mary Margaret immediately placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Wrong?!" Killian exclaimed. "David this is the first right thing you have done in your entire life! Now tell us what happened!"

"I don't know, I couldn't see much, there was a rain storm." David spoke from between his hands, still refusing to face Killian's burning stare. "And she was running. It looked like he was chasing after her."

"Oh God, then what?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Then uhm…." David swallowed. "Then she slapped him."

"WHAT!"

Killian's loud voice echoed through the bus and Regina Mills stood up in fury, one hand coming to hold on to the head of her seat in order to support herself.

"That's it Killian, two hours of detention when we get back!"

"But Miss Mills…" he whined but when she wouldn't budge so with one last hope, Killian turned to look at Mr. Locksley and quietly pleaded for help. The older guy only shrugged in return, knowing there was nothing he could do in this situation.

Upon seeing the silent exchange between the student and the teacher and for trying to undercut her authority, Regina yelled once more.

"Three hours, Killian!"

"But!"

"Nu-uh!" she cut him before he had a chance to defend himself. Giving him another merciless look, she sat back down on her seat before turning her attention back to Archie.

"God, he must have really done something to deserve that slap!" Killian turned back to his friends who had just witnessed the exchange with amusement. "Now, she's even more pissed off!"

"Guess your plan backfired…" Emma grinned at him.

"David, then what happened?" Killian ignored her.

"I don't know, I ran away when I saw her slap him."

"You did what?!"

"I figured it was a private conversation so I ran back to the camp." David confessed in fear. He turned to look at Mary Margaret who gave him a proud smile but when he looked back up at Killian, his eyes were filled with anything but pride.

"You idiot," he sneered. "Now we'll never know what happened!"

"Do we need to?" Emma then spoke. "Obviously something has happened between them. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I wanted them to be together, I didn't want a lover's quarrel. Now Miss Mills is even angrier and we gotta fix it!"

"Killian no, she slapped him, this means it is serious." Mary Margaret argued from next to David. "We need to stay away from it."

"I just got three hours of detention, we're fixing this!"

"And by _fixing it,_ you mean?" Emma asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"We will make a new plan."


	9. Chapter 9

Mondays were the absolute worst. Especially when you had spent the entire weekend camping.

At least that's what was crossing Robin's mind when he woke up to look up at the little alarm clock that was peacefully sitting on his bedside. The damn thing had stopped working again and he found himself once more, very late.

Putting his clothes on and driving to work was much harder now considering how his body craved the weekend he never actually got. Last week had already been a little rough on him and now going to school without even getting one day's worth of rest was bothering Robin more than it should have. Or maybe it was because of the papers he never had a chance to grade.

However, there was only one thing in his mind that made the whole 'getting out of bed in this weather' thing more tolerable, and that was his boss. Now, it had been a crazy weekend, that was for sure, and things between him and Regina were a little hectic but that was actually one of the reasons he forced himself to leave his soft, warm bed that day; his curiosity. She had done an impeccable job avoiding him the day before and truth to be told, Robin was more than willing to see her in school, just to see her reaction towards him. He wasn't fired (yet) and he knew that Regina was someone who always kept professional in the work place, and as he put on the first tie he grabbed from his closet, his mind stayed solely focused on her, curious to know if she'd keep her cool or if she'd spend the day hiding from him. His bet was on the latter.

No matter how much he tried to distract himself, he never once stopped thinking about that specific subject on his way to the school, his gaze grazing over his small town which was now weeks away from winter. The weather had gotten colder during their little stay in Waterville and if he had thought that the little rainstorm there was cold, it was nothing compared to the town; now so cold that it was downright impossible to go out without a scarf and a pair of gloves.

Leaving his car and thanking God that he managed to make it in time, he made his way inside the building and was met with warm air once he walked through the doors. He had every little intention to head to his classroom where he was planning on welcoming the students for their first period, but he stopped dead in his tracks once he spotted her.

The first bell hadn't rang yet so Robin took comfort in having students in the cafeteria for a couple of more minutes. The hallways were empty and it reminded him of the after school, parent teacher conference meetings he loved very much. After all, what was there not to love once Robin found the wide hallways empty of students?

She was there, standing in the hallway he mostly spent his time in, so dangerously close to his classroom that for a second he thought that she was waiting for him. But when he stepped closer and cleared his throat in order to make his presence known, she jumped in surprise, tearing her gaze away from an announcement that was pinned against the wall.

"Good morning." He remarked quietly and he should have walked past her, he knew he should have. But instead his feet betrayed him and he found himself coming to a stop inches away from her, expecting an answer no matter how much he knew she'd be ignoring him.

However, much to his surprise, she acknowledged his presence and turned to look at him. But it wasn't a look he was used to seeing her give to the other teachers, or it wasn't the mask she hid behind when she bid good morning to students, no, instead Robin received something much more intimate and real from Regina; which was of course the plain and pure irritation she had towards him. And after the events of the day before, that irritation had doubled in size because now there was an unspoken secret between them that they were reminded of each time they had gazed into each other's eyes. The difference was; that specific secret amused Robin, whereas it only embarrassed Regina.

And she had every intention of making it go away.

He expected all kinds of things from her in response to his single 'Good Morning'. He expected one back, he expected her to ignore him, he expected her to walk away, but what he didn't expect was her sizing him up before grabbing a hold of his shirt and pulling him into a corner.

The hallways had small openings which led to the bathrooms; now empty considering how they still had a couple of minutes till the students came flooding in. And that's where Robin had found himself with a very angry Regina standing right in front of him, arms crossed in front of her.

"I assume there's a reason for all this." He raised his eyebrows in question.

"You need to stop." Was her answer, delivered in a low voice.

"Do you expect me to know what you're talking about?"

"Oh you know exactly what I'm talking about." She took a step closer to him and threw him an intimidating look. "I don't want you doing this."

It would have been a lie to say that Robin had no idea what she was talking about, cause he knew, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I want two things from you, Robin," she kept talking before he had a chance to respond. "Silence and distance. Don't talk to me, don't smile at me and don't come near me."

"Are you breaking up with me?" he asked with a smirk. _Great Robin, what a perfect time for jokes…_

"Funny." She wasn't amused. "Do you want another slap cause I don't mind giving you one?"

Upon hearing her last words, he took a sharp step back, finally coming to a realization of how serious this conversation was getting. He couldn't help but feel a hint of melancholy settling deep down in his stomach, replacing the butterflies that he kept alive for the past two days. Guess it wasn't meant to be…

"You know what…" he took a step closer, shaking his head in disbelief. He was going to hurt her just like she hurt him, no matter how much he hated doing it. "After what I've seen last night, I think the feeling's mutual."

He pretended not to notice the sudden change in her face, her features turning into something he recognized as hurt and disappointment but she quickly pulled herself together, the trace of sadness disappearing altogether. That did not stop him from spitting out his next words.

"I want two things from you, Regina." He spoke mirroring her earlier sentence. His blue eyes rested firmly on brown ones. "Peace and quiet. Two things I never got since you started working here."

"Oh, you want peace?" she breathed out, anger dripping from her voice. She stepped even closer to him until there was no space between them. "Too bad because I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell."

"Bring it on, _Mrs._ Mills." He challenged her, with a threatening voice. And for a split second, his gaze switched to her half parted lips before looking back up to her deadly stare.

"With pleasure." She replied, ignoring his little joke. But then again, they were past the point of making jokes and what he did could only mean a declaration of war. From the way she licked her lips and gave him a subtle smile, he took that as her accepting the challenge.

They stood there for a couple more seconds, both breathing heavily for reasons Robin chose not to think about as they indulged in their little staring contest, both of them too stubborn to break the eye contact. They were, however, brought back to reality when the bell rang and Regina jumped in surprise while Robin took a step back like he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

She shook her head, like she was trying to get her mind back to reality and face the day before her, as she fixed the non-existent wrinkles on her black, knee length, pencil dress before turning to walk back to her office, without uttering him a single word.

He watched her leave, heels echoing through the hallway which was now beginning to fill with students walking to their classes. She disappeared into the crowd and he didn't get to see her until the end of the day.

#

"He seems… different." Emma remarked from her seat, eyes looking up to watch their English teacher as he paused mid-sentence, before shaking his head and changing the subject.

"Yeah, definitely distracted." Mary Margaret spoke from the seat in front of her.

"Maybe it's because of the slap he got the day before!" Killian grinned, leaning back.

"Ssshh! Do you want him to hear you?"

"Guys!" Robin yelled from across the board, obviously wanting them to pay attention. All three kids instantly stopped talking before averting their eyes back on their text books.

"Mr. Locksley!" Killian suddenly raised his hand after a brief pause. "What do you think of Miss Mills?"

And in the exact moment, Emma dropped her pencil on her desk and face palmed with a loud groan. How was that boy not expelled already? From the desk in front of her, she could see Mary Margaret turning to give him a sharp look as David smirked with amusement. Guys were so childish…

"Excuse me?" Robin looked up over his glasses, giving him a chance to rephrase his obviously inappropriate question.

"I mean…" Killian was smart enough to get the hint. "What do you think of the… uhm, amount of detentions that Miss Mills give?"

Robin placed his text book on his desk with a sigh before taking of his glasses. No matter how much he tried to forget about that woman and focus on his classes, she found a way of popping back up in his life. Now there it was, the obvious question coming from one of his students regarding his thoughts about her and it was only expected after the charade they'd pulled at the camp the day before. Even a fool would understand that they didn't have the usual relationship that two coworkers had.

"Even though Mrs… I mean Miss Mills and I don't always see eye to eye," he cleared his throat. "We both agree that you, Killian, should not be talking this much in class."

"But, we all saw how you made her smile at the campfire the other day!"

Much to Robin's dismay, the whole class cheered and the ones who weren't at the field trip were left with asking their neighbors what happened during camping. Why did everything had to lead to gossip?

"I'd say that was a lucky coincidence." Robin explained, hoping it to work. But of course it didn't, why would it? Life was out to get him.

"No, it wasn't." Gold spoke from the very back. He didn't need to raise his voice to get the class' attention. For some reason, everyone listened to him. "Miss Mills never smiles."

"She does if you say the right words." Robin shrugged. "Now if we can get back to Oedipus and the catharsis that-

"What are those?" Killian asked with a grin.

"What? The catharsis?"

"Noooo…." The whole class groaned along with him. "The right words?"

"I… uhm." Robin felt his throat go dry. He had always been a terrible liar but he may have pulled of one if he gave an immediate answer to the question. Unfortunately for him, he didn't. But before he could think of anything else to say, someone else spoke up.

"Is Miss Mills married?" Victor asked, not particularly to him.

"No, she's not!" David replied. Even his favorite student had failed Robin and he found himself taking a step back, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh my God, Mr. Locksley. You and Miss Mills would look sooo good together." Ruby then sighed from next to Victor.

"Whoa, wait a minute…" the things were getting out of hand and Robin had no idea how to stop it.

"Sooo true…" Mary Margaret agreed with dreamy eyes. "You should ask her out!"

"Yeah! She likes you too!"

"No, she doesn't." Someone else said. "She doesn't like anyone."

"She does too!" Ruby once again spoke. "She was smiling at him…"

"Guys, please!" Robin raised his hands but of course nobody was listening.

"She was flirting with him!"

"She's in love with him!"

"She wants to have his babies!"

"What the hell is this noise?!" the door burst open and the whole class fell into a deadly silence.

Everyone who was voicing their opinions so mindlessly just seconds ago, immediately close their mouths as they all stared at the principal by the door with horrified expressions on their faces. The only thought that crossed everyone's head was; was it possible to get detention as a whole class? And by the looks of Regina who had one hand on the door handle and the other on her hip as she stared everyone down with fury, it was indeed possible.

"What is going on here?!" she once again asked when she didn't get any answer.

Robin knew this was the moment where she'd be chopping him up and feed him to the lions. Or that's what it felt like as he watched her tear her gaze away from the student to look at him, waiting for an explanation. Except of course he did not have one, and he was pretty sure that his face was red with embarrassment.

True, everyone feared the principal but that was not the reason for the silence in class. They actually wanted to watch the exchange between Mr. Locksley and Miss Mills. The whole thing was better than the homecoming game.

"If you have a problem with keeping a bunch of kids in control, maybe you're in the wrong line of work." Regina mocked him with a hint of amusement in her voice. However, when one of the kids snickered, she threw him a dangerous look.

"Ah Miss Mills…" Robin leaned against his desk, crossing his arms in front of him. "How nice it is to see you grace us with your presence."

"Well, it was either that or your students were going to burn the school down." She threw him an annoying look.

"We were just discussing… a theory." That was a lie and him along with twenty three people in the class knew it.

"Regarding?"

"Uhm.. the… you know…" Robin made a mental note to go home and type 'How to Lie Better' to Youtube search engine.

"Oedipus!" Killian spoke up and everyone silently applauded him for his uncalculated bravery. "We were just telling Mr. Locksley how Oedipus shouldn't be ashamed of liking Jacosta."

"Yeah, if he likes her, he should just tell her!" David agreed.

"No, he can't." Robin tried to interfere.

"But its true looove…." Ruby rested her head on her hands with a broad smile.

"God, did no one read the play?!" Robin suddenly raised his voice. "She's his mom! That relationship is doomed!"

"Ew, never mind…" Killian averted his gaze. "Cockblocked by Socrates."

"May I have a word?" Regina addressed Robin, her gaze leaving the class only to land on him.

"Didn't you have your word this morning?"

"Robin…" she breathed out in a low and threatening voice.

What they did not notice was how every single one of the students present in that class let out respective gasps. Ruby who was supporting her head on her hand, slipped her elbow on the desk in surprise as her pens fell onto floor with a loud clatter. No one paid attention.

Everyone was thinking about the same questions. Since when were their teachers on a first name basis? And what had happened that morning?

"Regina," he replied, lips curving into an amused smile.

"Not now." She warned him, referring to their earlier discussion.

"Now seems like the perfect time."

"You're pushing it."

And in that exact moment, Robin realized that maybe doing this in front of the students was not such a great idea after all. He lifted his weight off the desk before taking a step closer to Regina. Clearing his throat, he broke the intense eye contact with the principal and turned to address the students who were watching the two with wide eyes.

"I don't wanna hear another word." He warned them and Killian's wolf whistle died in his throat.

He walked over to the door and accompanied Regina out with a gentle hand on the small of her back before closing the classroom door to give them at least a sense of privacy.

"What now?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him. "Couldn't wait to see me?"

"You need to keep them under control." She replied, not amused as she placed both hands on her hips.

"Did you not get the memo? This is not the military."

"It's not a kindergarden either." She raised her voice and eyed him carefully. "We need order."

" _You_ need order, we need a principal who knows the word 'mercy'". He stepped closer to her.

"Mr. Locksley, stop or-

"Or what? You'll give _me_ detention?"

On the other side of the door, Killian was staring intently at the door that they just watched their teachers disappear from and thinking. No, more like he was planning. Part of him wanted to leave his seat, run to the door and eavesdrop the conversation. However from the corner of his eye, he saw Emma give him a killer glare like she was able to read his mind.

"What?" he managed to tear his gaze away from the door and turn to look at her.

"You're gonna do something." The blonde remarked, crossing her arms in front of her as she threw him a suspicious look.

"Of course I'm gonna do something." Killian turned his attention back to the wooden door that hid the world's secrets. "The question is what."

"I don't know the question but I'm pretty sure about the answer." Emma leaned on her desk with a smirk playing on her lips. She inched closer to the boy. "You're getting expelled."

"Not unless someone rats me out." Killian turned back to Emma. If someone was going to tell on him, then it was definitely the blonde sitting next to him.

"Tell me what you're gonna do and I won't."

"I'll tell you if…" his lips curved into a sly smile. "You agree to play along."

"No way!"

"Then too bad…"

Emma scoffed before leaning back into her chair. Fine, if he wasn't going to tell her then it was his problem. She wasn't dying to know anyway. It wasn't like Mr. Locksley and Miss Mills were going to date, the idea was as impossible as Killian being an honor student. There was no way Emma was curious at all, absolutely no way…

Okay she was, maybe a little, curious.

"Fine, tell me!" She blurted out the words before she could stop herself.

"I knew you never could resist me…" Killian winked at her before leaning over to whisper in her ear. "So, we'll do it today after the last period ends."

While Killian informed Emma of his genius plan he had come up with just seconds ago, Robin stood leaning against the wall at the other end of the door as he raised his eyebrows in question at Regina.

"Well?"

"Don't level with the children Mr. Locksley, I'd like to believe I employ people who are better than that." Regina replied with a stern look before taking a step away from him. "Make them shut up and that's final."

Without throwing him another one of her famous looks, she turned on her heel and walked back to her office. It was a nice indication that she did not want any other comments coming from his part. However, that did not stop him from throwing her an amused look.

"Yes, ma'am." He muttered after her and did a mock salute, not even sure if she'd heard him or seen it.

#

It had been a tiring day. Robin knew that by the aching muscles in his body and eyes that hurt every time he blinked. With a sigh, he sat down on his desk and leaned back before shaking his head back to reality and starting to gather a variety of tests and homeworks he had to grade for the week. The last period had just come to an end, and after handing out the latest assignments, Robin had bid the students farewell who were just aching to get out of the class and head for the school buses that were waiting outside.

He gathered the sheets before putting them in his suitcase as he took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. Maybe he could take a nap once he got home…

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps and before he knew it, he was face to face with Emma who was standing by the door and panting.

"Mr. Locksley!"

"Emma, what is it? Why aren't you at the bus?" he raised his head in question, already beggining to worry for the girl who stood before him.

"Mr. Locksley, you gotta come quick!" she spoke quickly like they were out of time.

"Why? What happened?" though he didn't need to hear the answer; he was already standing up.

"We were doing this thing and uhmm…" Emma started, averting her gaze as she started to run back into the hallway. "Someone lost this thing…"

Robin followed right suit with quick steps, not really sure what the girl was talking about. But if his students needed him, he was there without question. However, this time he doubted that it was serious.

"Emma!" he ran after her but she wasn't listening.

Once they turned right entered another hallway, Emma came to a stop in front of the door as she looked up to meet her teacher who was right behind.

"Emma, tell me what's wrong?" Robin asked once he came to stand next to her, looking around in worry. If someone was hurt, they shouldn't be wasting time.

"It's in there." Emma pointed at the door.

Robin turned to see that they were standing right in front of the janitor's closet, a tight space where Leroy used to keep his brooms and cleaning supplies. What could possibly be in there?

"What's in there Emma?" He turned his attention back to the girl who switched her gaze back and forth between him and the door. She also occasionally turned to glance at the other end of the hallways -but Robin did not notice that.

"Please, Mr. Locksley!" she pleaded once again. "You gotta get it!"

"Get what?" he asked once again in confusion as his hand reached up to open the janitor's closet. "What are you talking about?"

"You gotta go deeper!"

"For God's sake…"

Robin shook his head in disbelief but that did not stop him from moving further into the pitch black janitor's closet, making sure that he didn't bump into something.

"Emma, I see absolutely nothing-

That's when he heard it. High heels.

He immediately stood frozen in place in order to make sure. Regina was right outside the hallways and she was approaching rather fast. Before he had a chance to turn around to understand what the hell was going on, she entered the tight space after him and for a second she didn't even notice his presence.

"Killian, I don't understand. What fire? I don't see any fire." She spoke but before she could step out of the place, her eyes spotted him and she gasped in shock mixed with surprise.

"Mr. Locksley?" she frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same." Robin spoke, barely making out her face from the lack of light in the room. He scoffed before taking a step towards the door. This was incredibly stupid. There was no point of him being here if the principal was handling the situation.

However before he had a chance to take one step out, the door slammed shut on his face and he jumped in surprise.

"What the hell?!" his hand went to the door handle as he tried it once. It did not open.

"What's going on?" Regina came to stand next to him as she banged on the door. "Killian!"

"I'm sorry Miss Mills, the door seems to be locked and we can't find the key!" came the voice from the other end of the door.

Robin's heart started beating faster in his chest as he banged on the door once more, just like his boss did. He had always been a calm guy, but now, this unrecognizable anger was starting build up inside of him and he used that power to bang on the door so hard that Regina jumped in fear.

"KILLIAN!" he yelled but then he paused.

Suddenly everything made sense. His mind first darted back to the conversation they had in class earlier that morning, how the every single one of his students pressured him to ask Regina out. Then he thought about the snake in the tent and her getting locked up in the bathroom and…

Oh my God.

"Killian! I know what you're trying to do and it won't work! Get us out now!" he yelled once again and watched as Regina's hand went to the handle in another fruitless attempt.

"Emma!" she yelled, still trying to understand what was going on.

But the silence was once again restored in the empty hallway and they heard nothing but their echo. Robin banged on the door one last time in anger before stepping back and leaning against the wall with a sigh. If they were doing what he thought that they were doing, there was no way Killian and Emma were coming back for a rescue.

They were stuck.

However that did not stop Regina from banging on the door at least a couple more times, oblivious to what was actually taking place.

"It won't work." Robin said, anger slowly beginning to subside only to be replaced with desperation.

"You don't know that." She replied without turning to him. She wouldn't have seen anything if she did since now the door was closed, the room was pitch black.

"I do." He sighed and brought a hand to his forehead. "Because I know what they're doing."

"Care to enlighten me?" she replied before realizing that yes the kids were indeed gone and they were left alone in the closet. She let out a frustrated sigh before stepping away from the door and leaning against the wall right opposite of Robin, though no matter how far they were standing away from each other, there was only a few short steps between them. Robin could even hear her breathe.

"Can't you see?" he explained. "They're trying to get us together. The snake in your tent, getting locked in the bathroom, even you coming to the field trip, it's all _their_ fault."

His eyes were getting used to the darkness and he could now see the outline of her face as her eyes widened with surprise first. But then something much more feral replaced the shock and he realized that she was finally beginning to understand.

"Oh my God…" she murmured, more to herself than him. "Oh my god."

"Tell me about it…"

"How could we have been so stupid!" she brought her hands to her face as she groaned in frustration. "This is all your fault!"

"How is this my fault?!" he raised his hands in question.

"You were the one who gave them the idea!" she yelled, not caring if anyone heard her or not. Though no one would since they were practically the only ones left in the damn school.

"Me? How would I give them the idea when I barely even see you at school!"

"God, Robin!" she breathed out. "If you at least own an ounce of a brain matter…

"Okay, now you're being rude." He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Me? Being rude? Well, guess what? You deserved it!" she hissed at him but before he had a chance to open his mouth and defend himself, she spoke again. "First you hit on me in front of all the staff on my first day! _My First Day!_ Then you make jokes and try to impress me with your unprofessionalism that is so through the roof that the students think that you're one of them."

"I-

"THEN you try and play the hero like a character from your damn novels! You think you can pick me up whenever you want and sweep me off my feet by saving the day!" she raised her voice.

"Regina, I…"

"Not only that, you think that what? Getting me to snuggle with you will somehow work? Wake up, Robin! This is not a book! You can't just get students to carry on your stupid pranks like this and expect me to fall for you! Because, guess what? I'm not interested!"

"Are you done?" he asked in a voice so calm that it was enough to send shivers down her spine.

"Yeah." She breathed out, eyes fixed on his.

Silence filled the air and for a second they stood staring deep into each others eyes before Robin lifted his weight off of the wall and took a step towards her.

"First of all, _Regina_ ," he articulated her name to get her attention. "I wasn't hitting on you that first day, I was trying to make you feel welcome here. Second, I never play the hero! _You,_ somehow always end up playing the damsel in distress that leaves me no other choice but to help you. And finally, I had no idea of this little prank! If I had known… believe me, I would have done everything in my power to put an end to it, because it seems no matter how nice I am to you, all I get in return is unjustified hatred! So guess what, I'm not that fond of you either!"

Robin had taken a step closer while talking and now he was standing right in front of her and there was now only few inches between their bodies.

He couldn't look away from her. No matter how much he tried, his gaze stayed fixed on her as she held his stare and parted her lips in surprise. She had heard every single thing he had said, he knew she did, but she refused utter a single word as she sucked in a sharp breath and flickered her gaze between his eyes and his lips.

The air between them was so thick with tension that Robin found it harder to breathe. Somewhere between them spitting their mutual disgust at each other, something had shifted and now there was not even an ounce of disgust was present. Instead, Robin found himself surrounded by desire but his mind was way too occupied on the woman in front of him to realize what had happened and when.

She did not speak. He desperately wished that she did, to get them out of this hopeless situation that they had found themselves stuck in but as he look at the beauty that was her eyes. And when she sucked in another sharp breath and licked her lips before pushing her chest forwards, he knew he was in trouble.

For the first time in his life, Robin Locksley was completely at a loss of words.

He did not know what she was thinking, he did not know what he was thinking either but suddenly he felt the cold touch of hand on his shirt and before he knew it, fingers opened the two buttons at the bottom of his shirt as she pulled the garment out of his pants which were securely tucked in. His mouth went dry as his gaze left her sharp brown eyes to find her lips, that she had a habit of biting when silent. It drove him to the edge.

She untucked his shirt and slipped a hand underneath it. Then suddenly Robin was met with a heavenly touch of a soft hand grazing against the skin on the side of his stomach before she pressed her palm against him and he struggled to breathe. It had only taken her seconds to make him lose control but by the looks of it, she was right there with him.

When she stroked the soft skin there Robin was intoxicated with the intimacy of the situation, and she drew in a stuttered breath that gave her away. She had absolutely no control over the situation either and the thought of it thrilled and yet scared Robin at the same time. But that did not stop him from licking his lips and placing a hand on the wall right next to her head, effectively pinning her against the wall.

Their bodies were aching to be touched and their lips were dying for a taste, but Robin stood frozen in place, not wanting the moment to come to an end since he knew that even one wrong move was enough to snap them out of their trances and they would be back to bitter reality.

Then all of a sudden, the hand inside her shirt curled around at the side of his stomach as she sank her nails into his skin and he felt his pants beginning to tighten. Taking another step closer to her so now there was no space between their bodies, he parted her legs with his knee and leaned down to-

Suddenly the door burst open and Robin jumped away from Regina who immediately drew her hand back as both of them turned to face their intruder.

"What are you two doing here?" Leroy, the janitor, raised his eyebrows in question as he switched his gaze back and forth between the two teachers who were both flushed and panting. He watched in confusion as Robin quickly tucked his shirt back into his pants before clearing his throat.

"Uhm, Leroy.. We were just, you know, waiting for you." Robin spoke, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Me?" the older guy smirked. "Looks like you already started without me."

"Excuse me." Regina shook her head before stepping out of the janitor's closet, without turning to glance at the man she was groping just seconds ago. Even though she looked completely flustered and her skin was glistening with sweat, she put on her mask before walking out. Robin followed suit.

They stood for a second, Leroy already going back into the closet to retrieve his things as Robin fixed his shirt and looked back up at Regina. Her gaze shifted down to his shirt now tucked securely back in his pants as she lifted her gaze up to meet his blue eyes again.

They did not utter a single word.

Brushing a hand through her hair, Regina fixed the nonexistent wrinkles on her skirt and cleared her throat before turning around and walking away.


	10. Chapter 10

Throughout the many encounters Robin'd had with Regina, he had realized one thing; Regina was a very sexual woman. True, during the day she put on a mask of professionalism, to an outsider she wasn't even human. Lots of people, majority of them consisting of students, were too scared to even approach her, let alone realize that underneath all that facade, there lay a real woman. So yes, perhaps her sexuality was not visible to the naked eye but it was screaming out to Robin.

First of all, there was the incident at the tent. Yes, she may be uncomfortable with physical contact but that did not stop her from enjoying it once she got comfortable. Not only that, Robin had learned a valuable secret that night; she had recurring sexual dreams that she found the solution to by masturbating to awareness which only ended in a mind blowing orgasm –something that had decorated Robin's thoughts since the moment he had witnessed it.

Apart from those obvious reasons, there was the thing with her losing control. That one he had never guessed since she seemed like a woman at the top of her game, and she usually _was_ except of course when she was trapped in a closed, tight space with her English teacher. Then she was blinded by her desires and her body refused to let her brain rule.

Though it wasn't just those.

For the following few days where they spent their time carefully avoiding each other and evading eye contact if they happened to pass by each other in the hallway -Robin had spent his time observing her from a distance. Now that he was beginning to learn the truth about her, every little one of her actions screamed out to Robin; the way she brushed her fingers through her hair, he came to realize, was something she did out of stress or when she bit her lips, she did that to buy herself some time when she did not know what to say in a conversation, and last but not least, when she pushed her chest forward and sucked in a sharp breath, Robin realized, that meant that she was extremely turned on.

Robin Locksley was no Sherlock Holmes but it would have taken a fool to not notice the fact that every time Robin passed by Regina in the hallway (sometimes very much intentionally), she took in a deep breath, straightened herself and thrust her chest forward all the while without turning to even acknowledge his presence.

Oh, she was a fabulous actress.

And that would have been his first clue.

It had been about three or four days since Robin had last talked to her. Not only would she avoid seeing him at school, but she would send students -or worse, the assistant principal Sidney Glass- if she had something to say, and as a matter of fact Robin was getting pretty tired of seeing the old guy's ugly grin whenever he expected _her_ to come through that door. The whole thing had left him disappointed, but he refused to give it away, and greeted Sidney with as much enthusiasm as he'd show for Regina every time he appeared at the doorway with a stack of papers.

So when Robin was in class; talking about the culture difference between different countries, trying to keep children from falling asleep and Killian from talking too much, the knock on the door startled him. Ones who had been nodding off awakened immediately, and Robin prepared himself to face Sidney's droopy eyes and ugly teeth but when he let out the words "Come in", the door was cracked open and Regina peeked around the edge, addressing him without bothering to even step inside.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she spoke, and the lightness in her tone was enough to get him worried. She would never talk to him, let alone talk to him _in that exact tone,_ so upon hearing his words, he nodded quietly before turning his attention to the students who had wide grins plastered on their faces.

"I'll be back in a sec." He said quickly before following Regina out the door.

"Take your time!" Killian yelled from behind him, but both his teachers had already stepped out before they could even hear his inappropriate comment.

Robin walked out and closed the door carefully behind him before turning to see that Regina had not come alone. Well, that would explain her eagerness to talk to him personally since a third party presence had become mandatory when they needed to establish contact. It only humored him, but from the concerning look on Regina's face, he couldn't bring his lips to smile.

But what made him pause right after he closed the door was not the presence of another person but more like the identity of the said person.

He knew the guy, and something was really wrong if he was there.

"Mr. Locksley, this is Graham Humbert." Regina spoke first and Robin took a step closer to shake hands with a tall guy in a police uniform. The guy gave him an unwilling nod before stepping back to stand right next to Regina. Apparently he wasn't too pleased with this arrangement either.

"Yes, I know who he is. Is there a problem?" Robin turned to address her. When Regina threw him a questioning look, he felt the need to explain. "Graham and I attended high school together."

"We've reason to believe that someone might be harboring drugs in their locker." She spoke in a low voice and much to his surprise; Robin could detect not even a hint of anger in her voice. There was only concern.

"Oh my God," he replied, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "What can we do?"

"Security called the police and they sent Sheriff Humbert over," she turned to the guy standing next to him who in return gave her a soft smile. What did he find anything to smile about in this situation was beyond Robin. But then again, Robin had never been good friends with Graham, in fact it had been quite the opposite. "They brought police dogs to sniff it out, until then we'll be on lockdown."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"The reason we came to you is that," Regina took a deep breath before letting the next words slip out her lips. "We believe the student who owns the drugs is in your class right now."

"Don't tell me it's-

"It's Killian."

"Damn it…"

Regina nodded and addressed him once more. "I've arranged a sub to take over your class, just go inside and let them know."

For the first time ever, Robin was prepared to do what his boss said as he gave her a brief nod before turning back to open his classroom door. However he witnessed a conversation with a frown right before he stepped inside.

"So, Miss Mills, can I call you Regina?" he heard Graham's gruff voice from behind him. Unfortunately, years had done justice to Graham and for the past couple of years, no, more like decades Robin hadn't seen him, he had actually grown into a decent guy… And a pretty handsome one at that.

"Oh sure," Regina replied, distracted.

"You got a beautiful school here."

Shaking his head, Robin walked back inside to the class without even wanting to witness any further of the conversation.

#

" _Attention students, we are on lockdown until further notice. Please remain calm and do not leave your current location."_

Sidney had done the announcement a few minutes after Robin had excused himself from his class only to be replaced with a sub who had way too much free time on his hands. Now he was standing in the open area right in front of the cafeteria and the hallways were packed with cops and their scary looking dogs that Robin chose to stay away from. Seeing his work place crowded with people he didn't know not only felt like an invasion of his privacy but also it made him extremely uncomfortable -though he was beginning to think that the reason for the was not the dozens of cops walking around the school, but one very specific cop standing way too close to Regina than what was deemed appropriate.

He carefully watched them interact as Graham purposely avoided doing his job but instead spent his time circling around her like a lion after its prey. However, the lion in question (According to the prey apparently) was cute, funny and humorous with gorgeous hair and sparkly white teeth. After another little joke welcomed with a flirty smile on Regina's part, Robin decided that he had had enough and made his way to the happy little couple.

"Miss Mills, can I have a word?"

Regina turned to him with a smile. And since when did her eyes have a certain kind of sparkle in them? "Regarding?"

"Oh… Lock down procedures?"

Though upon lifting his stare from the principal, he was met with the angry eyes of Graham who let out a scowl and stepped back to give them a little privacy. Once he was gone, Robin spoke up eyeing the guy who was now chatting with another officer.

"So, Sheriff Humbert…"

"Graham." She corrected him.

"Oh, you're on a first name basis now?" he asked incredulously, lifting his gaze from him to finally stare at Regina.

She shrugged in return like it was no big deal. _It was a huge deal._

"He insisted I'd call him that."

"How surprising..." Robin muttered under his breath. "So what was he telling you just now?"

"Oh we were just talking about how before he got this job, he used to be…" though she paused mid-sentence and raised her eyebrows suspiciously before turning to look at him with an amused smile playing on her lips. "Why do you ask?"

"Just… I saw you smile and you don't usually do that." He shrugged, trying to make the whole thing sound casual but they both knew it wasn't.

"Why? Did you think you were the only one who could make me laugh?" she asked, enjoying the conversation far more than he was.

"No, I mean! I didn't think, it was-

"Are you jealous, Mr. Locksley?" she then suddenly asked.

"No!" his answer was so quick and loud that there was no doubt that he had given himself away. He internally cringed at the fact before correcting himself in one last desperate attempt. "I mean… That guy-

"Graham."

"Graham's definitely into you." He observed, trying to make it sound like it was nothing more than a friendly remark.

"Is he?" she replied in a fake surprised tone as they both turned to stare at the man in question who in return winked at Regina. The small gesture was enough to get Robin's blood boiling.

"Hmm… I never realized…" Regina replied turning back to him.

"Oh, that's a lie and we both know it."

"Well maybe he's a bit friendly but that doesn't necessarily mean anything." She shrugged carelessly. Her naivety only infuriated him further.

"Oh my God, he's hitting on you! Can't you see that?!" he then suddenly raised his voice, not caring if anyone heard him. But when he caught a sight of Graham curiously raising his head from the other end of the cafeteria to throw them a suspicious look, he immediately lowered his voice and addressed her. "He never leaves your sight and he's always smiling when you're around. God, he's like a… lost puppy."

Upon hearing his words, Regina let out a loud laugh as she threw her head back. "Cute metaphor." She remarked with a grin. "But still… You're wrong."

With that she walked over to Graham and Robin did not miss how her hips had an extra sway in them.

#

For the next hour or so, Robin did not leave their sight.

No matter how many times Graham pulled Regina into a corner or how much he tried to get her alone, Robin always somehow found himself standing right next to them. Of course, it was for her best interest, that's what he kept repeating to himself. After all she was oblivious to Graham making a move on her and Robin was nothing more than a generous friend.

"It's a shame you're doing such a great job running this school." He said, leaning in towards her.

"Excuse me?"

"Well if you weren't then I'd have more reason to be here." Graham spoke without lifting his gaze off of her. "And I could get to see you more."

Robin rolled his eyes to the back of his head. How was it possible for someone get more annoying by each passing second? However, unfortunately for him, he watched in shock as Regina let out a soft smile to this monstrosity called flirting. How could she?!

"You're sweet, thank you." She replied with a smile and at that point Robin felt it was his personal duty to butt in.

"If you need kids to turn into criminals for your own personal needs, then I'm thrilled that Miss Mills is at the top of her game." He spat out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Graham, for once, turned his attention to Robin which was surprising considering how he seemed absolutely invisible to him up until that point.

"It means, I know what you're doing. You haven't changed even a little since high school."

Robin took a step closer to him, seizing the guy up and down. Even though the whole place was packed with cops and the woman he was trying impress… no, protect was standing right next to them with her eyes wide open with surprise, it didn't stop him from throwing him a threatening look.

"You have to excuse Mr. Locksley." Regina then butt in as she placed a hand on his arm, silently forcing him to take a step back. He complied in defeat but his stare never left his. "He hasn't been having a great day.

"Apology accepted." Graham grinned and Robin physically had to stop himself from punching the guy right in his perfect little jaw. "Though I understand, I mean, I know Robin here is single."

"What had that got to do with anything?" he bit back, once again in a defensive position. Regina had already dropped her hand from his arm and there was absolutely nothing holding him back from taking a step forward and lunge right into…

"I'm just saying I could see why you'd be over protective over your boss since she's the only beautiful woman you get to see. And I can totally understand why your wife left you, but you gotta move on, man."

"Don't even go there-

"Consider it my own little revenge." Graham smirked at him.

"Oh you can't still be angry after all this time?"

But before he had a chance to respond, a couple of cops emerged from one of the hallways with a police dog and they called Graham's name in a hurry. Glad that he was getting out of the conversation, Graham excused himself and ran back to the direction of his friends, leaving Robin and Regina alone in front of the cafeteria. The moment he was gone, Regina turned to give Robin an amused look.

"Didn't realize this had turned into a pissing contest." She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"How can you like that guy? His conversation is as commonplace as a street pavement!"

"And that makes you, what? The Moulin Rouge?" she scoffed before turning to walk towards the hallway.

"Regina, wait!" he placed a gentle hand on her arm to keep her from walking away.

"What?"

"You can't possibly like him!"

"And why is that?" she turned to him, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Can't you see he's using you to get to me!"

"Well…" Regina paused before bringing a hand to her chin and stroking it in deep thought before raising her head to answer him. "No, I can't. Sorry."

She once again turned on her heel and began walking away from him but fortunately for him, Robin was a lot quicker and he jumped in front of her, once again effectively stopping her from leaving. She let out an exhausted sigh before rolling her eyes.

"You can't seriously consider dating him!"

"You know what," she raised her voice. "Even _if_ Graham is hitting on me like you said, which I know for a fact that he's not, what's stopping me from saying yes? Why do you even care?"

"Because, you're his little… revenge." He struggled to speak.

"Do explain."

Robin sighed and shifted his gaze to the floor. For some reason, staring into her eyes seemed like a challenge now that she was demanding some real answers. "You know Marian?"

"I know _of_ Marian, yeah."

"Well, she used to date Graham back in high school." Robin said softly. "Before she fell for me."

"Leaving guys for others seems like a habit of hers." She remarked quietly.

"I got over it, Graham never did." He then turned his head to catch a glimpse of the man in question who was shuffling through a locker. "Now, this is his little payback."

"By _flirting_ with a woman who's not even yours." She deduced the little flaw in his logic before quickly adding. "Or is it maybe because he's smart enough to tell that you actually _did_ fall for me?"

"No, he has never been that sharp." Robin replied without turning to even look at her. When his words were met with silence, he frowned and snapped out of his trance before realizing what he had inadvertently admitted. His eyes widened in surprise as he immediately turned to look at her. "Oh, I see what you did there."

"Are you sure because it seems like you didn't." She said with a smirk.

"I didn't fall for you." He clarified.

"If you say so," she shrugged before finally managing to walk past him and head over to Graham.

Shaking his head in disbelief and internally scolding himself for being way too naive, he turned on his heel before going after her. Cops were slowly clearing out the area and he could see a group of officers gathered around Graham who was on his knees, still shuffling through a locker on the bottom. From the way they had two police dogs over with them right next to the specific locker, Robin could tell they had found what they were looking for and that locker seemed awfully familiar.

"You guys go, I'll take care of it." Graham muttered under his breath and it wasn't long before the rest of the cops were clearing the hallway, leaving their sheriff alone with Regina and Robin who came to stand right next to him. The concerned look was back on Regina's face the minute she had approached the lockers and now she was eyeing Graham curiously like she was a relative in a hospital and was looking at the doctor for bad news.

Graham slowly rose up, his expression shifting into something much more serious as he stared at them both.

"It's weed." He slowly spoke.

"Is that-

"That's Killian's locker." Robin completed her sentence for her with a sigh.

"Now Regina," he began and Robin tried to ignore the articulation of her first name. "I don't know what kind of approach you wanna take with this but I see cases like these a lot."

"Not in my school you don't." She replied and he could detect the slight anger in her voice.

"If I take this with me, it will be counted as evidence and I'll have no choice but to put it in the report. I do that and this goes in the kid's record, we'll be destroying his future."

"Since when do you care about other people's wellbeing?" Robin then suddenly asked, ignoring Regina as she leaned against the lockers with a sigh.

"Since Marian left you." He bit back, the weed in hand quickly forgotten.

"Just like she did to you." Robin replied quickly.

"Alright you two," Regina pushed herself off of the lockers before coming to stand in between the two. She extended her palm towards Graham with a sigh. "I'll take it."

Graham placed the bag of weed on Regina's hand with a nod as he raised his other hand to place on the small of her back. He completely missed how she flinched at the contact but Robin did not.

"Regina, you are really the kindest woman I have ever seen."

"Oh, please…" Robin scoffed before crossing his arms in front of him.

"And if you need anything…"

"She won't." Robin once again butt in.

"…you have my number."

"You gave her your number?!"

Ignoring his words, Graham bent down to place a sloppy kiss on Regina's hand who quickly drew it away from his grasp with a pleasant smile.

"Thank you Graham, you've been extremely helpful."

Robin frowned at the interaction and when he turned to throw Regina a look in disbelief, he saw her already watching him with a curious look in her eyes. When his gaze shifted back and forth between her and the sheriff in irritation, he watched her lips curve into a sly smile before speaking up again.

"I'll make sure to give you a call." She continued in a flirty tone that had Robin staring at her in shock.

Graham just nodded before walking away without even bothering to acknowledge Robin's presence. Once he was out of sight and the hallway was once again empty, Robin turned to Regina.

"You were flirting with him!" he accused her in disbelief, raising his voice now that there wasn't a single soul in the hallway they were standing in.

"I was not." Regina replied with a mocked tone before starting to walk back towards Robin's class. "You should get back in there."

"He was flirting with you and you were flirting back!" he said again once they came to stand right in front of his classroom but he was nowhere near close to get back to his class yet. Not until he had gotten some answers at least.

"For the last time, he wasn't flirting!"

"Oh really?" he asked in disbelief. "Can't you tell when a guy flirts with you?"

"Yes, I can, so believe me when I say this; he was not coming on to me!"

"Yes, he was!" he raised his voice.

"Well, then do tell Mr. Locksley, what did he do that gave you the wrong idea?!" she raised her hands in question, never once breaking eye contact. "How did he flirt with me?!"

"Oh you want a demonstration?!"

"Be my guest!"

"He was close to you, Regina." With that Robin took a sharp step towards her, forcing her to take one back. It had happened so fast that she sucked in a deep breath before raising her head to look up to him since now he was practically hovering over her. "He was this close to you."

"I don't… uhm, I don't think that he was-"

"He never stopped looking at you." His voice which had been echoing through the school walls just seconds ago was lowered down so much that his words came out barely above a soft whisper. Taking another step close to her, he realized how the air between them had shifted only to be replaced with something much more serious.

Regina took another step back and immediately realized that it was a bad idea the minute her back hit the classroom door.

"He touched you." He then breathed out as he slowly raised his hand to place it on the side of her waist. "I saw him touch you."

He took another step towards her and she was trapped between him and the door behind him, unable to move, think or speak. His hand on her waist as the hem of her shirt rose slightly, making his cool fingers come in contact with the bare skin there, drawing a further gasp. He just hoped that he wasn't pushing her too far but all of his worries dissolved into nothing when he watched her part her lips in anticipation before thrusting her chest forward.

One more step and he was pressed against her, her breasts now pressed up against his chest as he took in a stuttered breath before tightening his hold on the back of her waist, pulling her closer to him. She bit down on her lower lip.

"And you like to be touched." He observed, his voice now merely a whisper. "Just not by him."

They were both lost in the moment as Regina's hand once again went to his torso and before he knew it, she was untucking his shirt from his pants only to place a cold hand on the bare skin of his stomach before caressing him there, sending shivers down his spine. He came to realize she liked that specific spot on him.

Her hand still under his shirt, she pulled him even closer to herself and Robin could hear her breathing heavily.

"He wanted to kiss you." He then finally said and watched her swallow hard. Bending down, he raised one hand to pull aside her hair only to bury his lips in the crook of her neck as he placed one, soft open mouthed kiss on her skin and felt her slightly lose her balance in his arm. His hold on her only tightened and he placed one more kiss where her jaw met her neck before raising his head to look at her parted lips.

"Just like I will." He tilted his head and bent down to finally crash his lips against hers, swallowing her moan as her free hand came to clutch at his forearm in desperation. The warmth of her mouth was enough to make Robin lose all coherent thought and she opened her mouth further to let him taste past the crimson colored lipstick on her lips.

Both their eyes fell closed, and Regina sighed into his mouth like this had been a moment she had been anticipating. Her body responded to his as the kiss grew hungrier and even more urgent as she tightened her hold on his stomach, sinking her teeth into his lower lip. He groaned in excitement before pressing her further against the door, completely devouring her like he had been meaning to since the moment he had first seen her.

On the other side of the door, Killian sat worried as his gaze stayed fixated on his desk. He had not moved even an inch since the assistant principal had declared lock down since part of him knew exactly why. He was worried about his little stash in his locker, desperately trying to come up with a way to get a new bag just in case his got confiscated.

Finding another dealer was not going to be easy.

"I'm sure they didn't find it." Emma placed a hand on his arm, snapping him out of his trance. The blonde was the only one who knew his secret.

"You say that now but all I'm seeing is a week spent in detention." He spoke in worry.

"If they find your stash, you're lucky if you get detention." Emma replied, not being much of a comfort.

Suddenly the classroom door rattled and the whole class raised their heads in suspicion.

"What the hell?!" Killian spoke and looked up to their little substitute teacher who remained unaffected by the noise and kept reading his book. That guy was utterly useless. His gaze shifted once more to the door and now he could see a silhouette through the frosted glass.

"There's someone over there." He pointed at the door.

"So?" Emma shrugged carelessly but her gaze was also fixed on the door just like the rest of the class.

"So, we're having a lockdown. No one should be out there." With that Killian stood up and walked over to the door.

"Killian, please sit down…" the sub spoke up from the desk, not even raising his head from his book.

Ignoring the guy, Killian threw the class one more questioning look and upon seeing his friends give him encouraging nods, he put his hand on the handle and opened the door as quickly as he could.

It all happened so suddenly.

Regina let out a yelp in Robin's mouth as she stumbled backwards now that there wasn't any surface supporting her weight. Their lips parted in an instant as Robin's hand tightened around her waist and she clung to him as reflex, both of them too shocked to even process what had just happened.

The sight before him was a whole different story for Killian and for the whole class. There it was, their English teacher, hugging the principal close to his chest as she held on to him for dear life. His shirt was hanging out of his pants and he had a bright red lipstick stain on the corner of his lips as he stared back at Killian, terrified and absolutely panicked.

Everyone was dead silent and no one dared to utter a single word until Killian open his mouth and spoke the words everyone had been dying to say.

"Holy. Shit."

Even though Robin still stood there horrified, one hand still around Regina's waist, she quickly came to her senses before immediately untangling herself away from him to turn to look at Killian with that same cold look he was used to seeing.

"Inside. Now." She said in a low, threatening voice.

"But-

"I SAID, NOW."

Killian jumped in fear before quickly shutting the door closed.

"And you!" Regina turned to look at Robin who raised his hands up in a defensive state.

"Regina, before you say anything-

"If this happens again, I will have you exiled so far away from this school that you will need a court order to even drive a mile along the coast of this state. Am I clear?" she spat out, her voice still hoarse from the kiss.

Robin nodded in hurry but before he had a chance to say anything, she threw him one last look and walked away, leaving him alone in the empty hallway with his shirt still untucked, and the color red decorating his lips.


	11. Chapter 11

"Come on mate, hurry up!" came Will Scarlet's voice from Robin's living room as the latter busied himself with preparing snacks.

"I'll be right there!" he yelled from the kitchen as he balanced three bowls filled to the brim with crisps and made his way to the living room -where he found Will already getting himself comfortable on his couch in front of the TV with August sitting next to him. Passing them the bowls, Robin grabbed a can of beer from the coffee table before sitting down on the armchair next to the couch.

"When does the game start?" Will asked impatiently from where he was sitting as August shuffled with the remote right next to him.

"Soon."

Robin watched the exchange in silence as he quietly sipped his beer. Even though it was his team against theirs, he just couldn't help but be distracted, his mind slipping off to a particular event that had refused to leave his head for the past couple of days. Even thinking about it was enough to send chills down his spine as he shook his head and took another sip from his drink.

"You're awfully quiet." Will, then suddenly remarked from where he was sitting.

Will Scarlet was a fun, loving guy Robin had known since high school. Having also come from Britain himself, Will had been quick to befriend Robin the minute the two found themselves sitting next to each other in World History and Will had been with Robin throughout the rest of the remaining years they had in high school, witnessing various jokes and pranks played by Robin on Graham. It was what the two boys had bonded over.

"What happened? Did Regina Mills finally give you that raise you wanted?" Will added with a laugh and was quickly joined by August.

"What happened? You got scared that your team is going to lose again?" Robin bit back.

"You wish!"

Robin turned his attention back to his drink all the while trying to ignore his friends' comments.

"I bet it was a pretty big raise." August wiggled his eyebrows as Will let out another loud laugh.

"I'm pretty sure she's been giving a lot of that to him lately."

The voices faded into the background as Robin looked down to examine the can of beer in his hand, though his mind was far far away. His friend had always made jokes concerning his particular interest with their boss. August would always throw him meaningful looks every time Regina paid him a visit -considering August's classroom was situated right opposite from Robin's so he had a pretty decent vantage point. After every physics class August has taught, he would step outside just to peek through the hallway into Robin's class only to be faced with a very angry Regina yelling at Robin, and every time August would leave the two with a wink, knowing the small infatuation his friend had with their boss.

Robin's little secret had been out the very first day of the staff meeting. Not that Robin had shared that little fact with any of his best friends, _no_ , it had been more like August whispering it to Will the minute Regina had first come in through the door and Robin's eyes had been stayed glued to her the entire meeting. Later, the two had teased him about their new boss and it hadn't taken long for him to confess his attraction. The cat had been out of the bag ever since and Robin had to live with his friends teasing him about Regina Mills during the rest of the semester.

Normally his reaction was to either shut them up or brush it off like it was nothing. However this time, he had been way too distracted to even listen to the pointless comments as his mind drifted off to _her_ once again and he replayed the scene in his mind. Closing his eyes momentarily, he let himself get lost into the memory and re-lived it; her hands clutching his body, his lips finding hers, until the exact moment they got interrupted.

Snapping out of his day dream, he looked up to see the game had already begun and his friends were far too interested in what was happening on TV to even continue their sarcastic comments. He was partially glad for that since he had already had enough with the mocking.

_Partially._

Because he had been dying to tell them what had happened and see their reactions.

His eyes switched back and forth between the TV and his friends who were too busy staring at the screen with their mouths hanging open as Will happily munched on the crisps before him. August was busy drinking his beer and commenting on every single thing he witnessed during the game.

Taking a deep breath, Robin cleared his throat.

Neither Will nor August lifted their gazes off the screen.

Sighing, Robin cleared his throat again without any success. Everyone was way too engulfed in the game to even realize the amount of stress Robin was under. Shaking his head in disbelief, Robin decided the best approach here would be ripping the plaster off in one single move.

"We kissed." He suddenly spoke up, eyes never leaving his friends' even once.

"Who kissed what?" Will asked, eyes still on the TV before him.

"I kissed Regina." Robin clarified and spoke again after a beat, just to make sure. "On the mouth."

"Yeah right, and I kissed Jennifer Lopez." Will scoffed before grabbing a handful of crisps and stuffing them into his mouth.

Robin did not laugh, he was not in the mood for that at all. Instead, he watched in silence as August chuckled at the joke and took a sip from his beer.

The two men kept their attention on the game until August finally noticed the silence on Robin's part and lifted his gaze off the screen to turn and look at his best friend. When he realized what was actually going on, he patted on Will's arm, who groaned and also turned to look at Robin.

When they saw the serious expression on his face, however, August widened his eyes in surprise as Will choked on his beer.

"Whoa! What?" he yelled, trying to swallow.

"You're not joking!" August said, the game on TV long forgotten.

Robin just nodded in return before taking a sip from his drink. The two men stared at him for a second, unable to even process the information, but it wasn't long before Will reached from his seat and raised his hand.

"Holy shit! High five!"

Robin just scoffed in return, leaving his friend's hand hanging in air.

"So, how was it?" Will asked, lowering his hand when he noticed the slight off beat tone in his friend's voice.

"It was…" Robin spoke as his mind instantly darted back to the moment where he had her right between his body and the door. "Amazing…" just thinking about that memory was enough to curve his lips into a soft smile which he quickly brushed it off with a shake of his head.

"Never seen you get so smiley over a girl. "August remarked with a smirk before adding. "Is it serious?"

"Is your definition of _serious_ a restraining order? Because at this rate, that's probably what I'm getting right now."

"Uh oh." Will spoke. "Did she not like it?"

"Oh, she liked it alright." Robin's mind once more drifted back to how her arms had wrapped around his frame as her hands pulled him closer to her body. "She just… Freaked out."

"Robin, it's only normal." August remarked before leaning back into the couch and dipping his hand into the bowl of chips. "The woman is known as the Ice Queen for God's sake, give her some time."

"It looks like that's the only thing he'll be giving her for a while." Will wiggled his eyebrows and dodged the small pillow Robin threw from the arm chair he was sitting in.

"I don't get it." Robin spoke once again as Will and August lifted their gaze off the screen once again with a sigh. That guy was obsessing way too much over this. "One minute she acts like she's into it and the next minute she's throwing threats in my way. I mean, am I doing something wrong?"

"Maybe she's bipolar." August shrugged.

"Maybe she's a lesbian." Will laughed from next to him.

"Or maybe she downright hates you, the point here is," August sighed as he reached for his beer on the coffee table. "You need to lay back a bit, and just let her come to you."

"As opposed to laying her on _her_ back and coming _on_ her cause let me tell you, that's just _not_ happening anytime so- Ow!"

Will placed a hand on his upper arm where August just hit him.

"The point here is," August continued. "You need to take it easy and calm down."

"Right, okay." Robin nodded as he quietly repeated August's last words to himself.

_Take it easy and calm down._

Right. He could pull this off.

#

He was absolutely not pulling it off.

Going to work was absolute pain. Every time he heard the sound of the damn alarm clock which was the reason for him to be late to school, he groaned in pain and practically forced himself to leave the comfort of his bed. Not to mention, Robin, as a grown man, was officially avoiding the girl he liked.

Her being unpredictable at all times was enough to keep Robin on his toes and now that they had kissed, he had to be extra careful about how he acted around her. One wrong move and it could end with him being fired, or worse losing whatever chance he had with her. However as the days moved forward and Robin was faced with her icy stare each time they passed by each other, he was beginning to think that he was losing that chance altogether.

They were back to square one and Robin felt himself getting more frustrated with each passing day.

So, he went with a slightly different approach.

After a week of avoiding her and getting nothing back but her cold stare and an occasional sneer, Robin began to feel bold, and rather daring. What was the worst that could happen anyway? She was already not talking to him and Robin figured he had nothing to lose. But of course at that point, he was so desperate to get a reaction out of her that he broke all his rules and completely forgot the little tip August had given her a week ago; let her come to you.

Oh he was going to let her come to him alright, but he just had to make himself a bit more noticeable.

He started slow; with a little rule breaking here and there, barely obvious. He would turn in his weekly reports late, or he would put off Sidney's endless requests for review meetings, each time enjoying the reaction he was getting out of the guy since he was what you would call a teacher's pet. Sidney was ready to report everything back to Regina, and so Robin made sure to act extra careful around him.

Next, he missed a staff meeting. That one was a biggy, even he was not denying it. He knew that Regina had zero tolerance for missing a staff meeting unless you had a really good excuse. Just to make it worse, Robin did not present her with an excuse -he just ignored the issue all together and went on with his day. He knew he was sailing in dangerous waters but he had no intention to stop even though a voice inside of him desperately yelled at him to do just that.

The next big thing came the week after and this time it was not something Regina could ignore. Robin knew that little fact by heart since this time, he was breaking the rules right _in front of her._

It was a harmless little thing for sure, and the idea came to Robin when Killian and David started tossing each other the rugby ball they had stolen from the gym. His job was to warn them and remind them how it was absolutely forbidden to play with that inside the school walls (except the gym of course) let alone in the class room.

Yes, he was supposed to do his job properly, but instead he found himself gazing at the two boys and before he knew it, it was the end of the class and Robin had made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Besides, what was wrong with having a little fun?

So that's how they found themselves in the hallway, tossing the ball back and forth as Killian and David laughed with glee. It wasn't often that they got to break the rules with their favorite teacher, and so they made most of the moment as Killian ran backwards to catch the ball and throw it at David who tossed it to Robin.

Now, to say that Robin didn't know Regina passed by this exact hallway around this time would have been a complete and utter lie. Of _course_ he knew, he had unintentionally memorized her entire schedule and was waiting for this exact moment ever since Killian had walked into his classroom with that Rugby ball.

"Not too hard!" David yelled at Killian as he caught the ball.

"It wasn't hard! You're just too weak!"

David shrugged in return as he tossed the ball back at Robin -who caught it expertly- before throwing it back at Killian with the smoothness of an actual Rugby player. This was his favorite sport after all.

Killian caught it and tossed it to David and the game moved further a bit until they were way too engulfed in their little fun to hear the sound of heels clacking on the marble floor.

It all happened very smoothly; Robin caught the ball, aimed at Killain and tossed it but instead of the young boy, the ball went to the hands of Miss Regina Mills whose hands instantly shot up to catch ball in one swift move.

The three of them froze when they saw what happened and Robin swallowed once out of fear mixed with a little anticipation.

His blue eyes stayed fixed on Regina as she scanned the three of them before landing her gaze on Robin, silently communicating with him the fact that she knew he was responsible for all this. He raised his head and watched her as she slowly but surely took step after step towards him, still holding the ball firmly in her grasp.

It felt like ages, but when she finally came to a stop right in front of him, she squinted her eyes in a judging manner before sizing him up and down, throwing the ball towards his midsection so fast that as his hands reflexively shot up to catch it he stumbled backwards a couple of steps.

"My office. Now." Were the three words that left her lips, delivered in a low tone. He blinked a couple of times and watched her carefully as she turned slowly on her heel before addressing the two boys. "Go to your classes."

David and Killian disappeared faster than lightening.

The only option left for Robin was to tuck the ball under his arm and follow Regina into her office.

He entered her tastefully decorated office right after she did before closing the door and placing the ball on the floor, knowing she'd want to keep it. It was how things worked with Regina after all; she saw something she didn't like, she confiscated it.

Closing the door, he watched as she walked behind her desk before turning to him with a questioning look.

"Explain yourself." She sighed and he could see that her anger was slowly subsiding into plain irritation. "Why were you playing Rugby inside the school walls?"

"Because there's a snow storm coming and I didn't want students to get cold?" he tried, forcing his mind to reel off the information he had heard this morning as he watched the weather channel.

"Uh-huh, you care about their well-being and I'm supposed to buy that?"

He just shrugged in return and watched her place both hands on her hips in a menacing manner.

"And how about the staff meeting you missed last week?" she asked.

"My car broke down."

"And the meeting before that?"

"Small problem with my sink, had to call the plumber."

"And the reports you refused to turn into Sidney? What happened? Your computer stop working?"

"Nah, I just hate Sidney."

She rolled her eyes before sitting back down on her desk. He took a few steps forward and came to a stop in front of her mahogany desk, watching her rest her elbows on the table and run her fingers through her neatly combed hair before grabbing the pencils that were scattered on the table. As she began stacking them into the pen rack, she spoke.

"I know what you're doing." She said before grabbing the pencil Robin saw her grade her papers with. "And it's not going to work."

"And what's that?" he took another step as he looked down on her.

"Are you really so unprofessional that you let _one_ kiss stop you from doing all your work?" she suddenly raised her head and he felt chills run down his spine the moment she referred to their little incident a week ago.

"What kiss?" he raised his eyebrows in question. "I thought we were pretending that it never happened."

"I am. You, apparently, are not."

"What makes you say that?" Even though he knew the answer to his question, he realized that he liked her talking to him no matter how absolutely annoyed she was at him.

"Because you're trying to get my attention!"

"I never-"

"No, don't even try to deny it." She stood up, pointing a finger at him." Don't you think I don't know what you're doing? Playing rugby in the hallways, not showing up for meetings, forgetting to turn in your weekly reports? You are _crying_ for attention and you get mad when you don't receive it."

"Men tend to want attention from women they literally just made out with." He raised his hands up all the while trying to keep his voice casual, knowing yelling would only irritate her further.

"I didn't make out with you." She raised her voice and ran a hand through her hair before starting to collect the papers on her desk and stacking them into various files. He thought she was doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact. "You kissed me."

"I don't forcefully kiss people, Regina. You were into it as much as I was." He didn't know how wise it was to use her first name at this point but he did it anyway.

The woman was like the two sides of the same coin. Her body and her actions told Robin that she wanted this as much as he did but her words told a whole different story. One minute he would be absolutely comfortable with hugging her and pulling her against his chest like he did in that tent weeks ago, but he would be scared to even approach her the next.

"The point is," she quickly changed the subject and it did not go unnoticed by Robin. "I want you to do your job and I want you to do it without breaking the rules."

"We were just tossing a ball, it was completely harmless."

"It was against the rules."

"Tell me _Miss Mills_ , are you religious or do you consider the Rule Book as your Bible?" he crossed his arms in front of him with a smirk that he knew annoyed her.

"Me? Living entirely by the rules?" she scoffed as she kept on organizing her desk without throwing him a single look. "You'd be surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he frowned.

"It means you're dismissed." She said harshly before pointing the door.

"You can't just say that and expect me to leave. You're obsessed with the rules."

"God, Robin!" she exclaimed and her hand shot up to accidently meet the pointy end of the letter opener that was peacefully resting in the pencil holder. Robin watched in horror as the sharp blade cut open her skin and before he knew it, there were a few specks of blood on her desk. "You can be very persistent."

"Whoa, you okay?" he couldn't help but take a step forward, his gaze never leaving the deep gash on the side of her hand. The blood was already pooling around the wound and Robin hissed a little at the sight.

"Yeah, why?" she frowned, eyes still on him.

"Regina, you're bleeding." He remarked with eyes wide open with concern.

"Oh…" she then followed his gaze and looked at the side of her hand which was now dark red with blood. She frowned a little and shrugged before bringing the hand to her lips and sucked on the wound slightly, her tongue carefully cleaning the blood before dropping her hand and resuming with the task of cleaning the table.

"It looks serious." Robin spoke, voice filled with worry.

"It's not."

"And very painful." He took another step towards her, the table between them stopping him from going any further as his eyes examined the wound.

"Why? Does pain bother you?" she asked and when he looked up, he was a flicker of playfulness mixed with excitement but it was gone in a second and she was once again looking back down on her table and putting her files away in a drawer.

"Doesn't it bother you?" he asked, concerned.

"Rugby bothers me." She said and her voice was once again commanding, something Robin was used to. "I don't want to see it again."

Frowning in confusion, Robin finally managed to lift his gaze off her hand to look at the sneer on his face, indicating that the way past his time of being in her office. Nodding, he quietly took a step back before heading back to the door, mind still on the deep cut on her hand and how she stayed absolutely unaffected by it.

"Take that thing on your way out and give it to Mr. Scarlet." She spoke after him all the while pointing at the Rugby ball on the floor.

He nodded, picked up the ball and opened the door to her office but before he stepped out, he turned one last time and spoke.

"Are you sure you don't wanna see a nurse about that?" he pointed her hand.

"I am. A little pain never hurts anyone." She shrugged and told him to close the door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

Robin let out a peaceful sigh as he sipped his coffee and looked outside of his window.

It was a chilly Friday evening and the sun was beginning to leave its place to darkness as he watched chunks of snow fall down from the sky. The snow storm was already here - like the weather channel had predicted- and the school had to dismiss the students two hours early.

Secretly glad that his last two periods got cancelled, Robin had barely made it back to his house due to the abundance of snow beginning to clog up the streets, and he didn't want to be late since it was going to be impossible to drive in after just a couple of hours. But, lucky for him, he had made it into the confines of his one story house -which stood alone just a few feet away from his neighbors- just in time.

He looked through the window and watched his front lawn –the one he had taken his time to plant and fertilize during the weekends, just to make sure it was the perfect green color- was now covered entirely in a white sheet. And it was getting nearly impossible to see the road, let alone his driveway. Outside, not only the snow, but the wind was getting heavier also, making Robin sure that whoever happened to be outside during that time, would certainly be freezing to death.

Taking another quick sip from his coffee, he closed the curtains and walked towards his little upright piano before setting his mug down on the side and sitting down. He knew there was no way he could leave his house tonight and possibly tomorrow, so knowing this little fact, he grazed his fingers over the keys before finding a familiar tune from his childhood and playing it. He thought about whether the storm would last until Monday. If it did, it meant he had to hand out the pop quizzes on Tuesday -but also that he wasn't going to have to read the first drafts of the papers he had assigned during the weekend. He could just do that on Monday night; have the quizzes ready by Tuesday morning and-

His phone rang, snapping him out of his stream of consciousness.

He stopped playing to get up and fetch his phone from the coffee table only to pause when he saw who the caller was. Frowning in confusion, he pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

The other end of the line stayed silent but Robin could hear the distinct sound of the snow storm, indicating that his surprise caller was very much outside in this weather. Even the thought of it was enough to get him worried.

"Hello?" he tried once more.

There was another long pause before, finally, the person on the other end of the line spoke with a disgruntled voice.

"Trust me; you were the last name on my long list." Came Regina's stuttering voice -which Robin guessed was due to the cold.

"Don't tell me you're outside in this weather." He frowned and walked back over to the windows to peek outside. The storm had become even stronger, and he could barely see the trees through the fog, swinging back and forth in the wind. There was no way this was getting cleared up by tomorrow.

"I wasn't planning to be, but I got stuck on Orchard Road."

"Orchard Road? The steep one? Regina, even _I_ don't use that road during winter. It gets icy and the cars stop working." He explained like he was talking to a child. And it was true; Robin was the only one who was crazy enough to use that road for shortcuts during the warmer weather, and even he stayed away from it during winter.

"I know," she spoke and Robin could tell she was already beginning to get tired and had no time to argue. "But I needed the shortcut and you, apparently, are the only person who knows where this place is."

"Wait, you want me to-

"My car broke down." She interrupted him and he rolled his eyes. He _so_ knew that this was going to happen if anyone used that road during winter. He didn't even want to imagine how people lived there by the hillside.

"Where are you? Uphill or down?" he asked, already looking for his keys.

"Downhill, my car skidded down the road." She replied and Robin could hear the wind already getting stronger in the background.

"I'll be there in fifteen." He said before hanging up and grabbing his coat.

Driving down there was downright impossible. He knew he had to walk, so he quickly grabbed his gloves along with a scarf that he quickly wrapped around his neck before taking a deep breath and opening his front door.

He instantly took a step back into his house the moment he was faced with the ice cold weather, almost tempted to go back in. But, shaking his head in determination, he closed the door behind him and started walking.

The weather definitely felt worse than it seemed as Robin struggled to take step after a step to reach his destination as quickly as possible. Even though his hands were covered with brown, leather gloves, he shoved them inside his coat pockets for extra warmth and quickened his pace. The snow was coming down so heavily that he had to half close his eyes to prevent flakes from poking his eyes and he silently swore that, after this was done, there was no way he was going outside ever again.

It took him about ten minutes to reach Orchard Road as he began to make his way downhill. The task was almost impossible considering the ice on the pavement but he held his breath and made sure that he was going as slow as possible. The last thing he wanted in this weather was a visit to the ER.

It didn't take long for him to spot her car down the hill considering there was not a living soul outside other than them. Her little, black Mercedes was almost entirely white from the snow and he walked up to it, keeping one eye on the ground just in case he slipped and fell. The car looked abandoned since they were practically the only ones outside, and he sighed before finally coming near.

Just like he had guessed, she was sitting in the driver's seat, her head against the steering wheel in a desperate pose. Coming to stand right next to the driver's window, he looked inside and squinted his eyes to get a better glimpse. When she didn't move, he -a bit too harshly maybe- knocked on the window.

She jumped in surprise and fear before looking up see her intruder, and with a scowl, opened the car door.

"You didn't have to scare me like that." she complained, instantly making a face when the cold wind hit her.

"It's just me, no one else would be outside in weather like this!" he found himself yelling, just to make her hear him through the ugly storm.

She nodded before leaving the car, and closing the door after her. "It broke down." She said in a trembling voice, once she was standing in front of him in a pool of snow. He watched her tuck her hands under her arm pits in search of a little warmth. "Can you do anything?"

"Do anything? I can't even see straight in this weather!" he yelled once more, giving her car a look over. "Come on, we need to leave."

He turned around and was just about to walk back up the hill when her voice behind him, stopped him in his tracks.

"Where are we going? I can't just leave my car here!" she yelled back, and Robin had to wipe the snow off his face to even see her.

"I don't think I can carry a car with me, sorry." He mocked, ignoring the fact that the longer they stood there, the harsher the storm become.

"No, but a tow truck can."

"No one will come by this hill, especially in this weather. We need to wait until the storm clears out!" he yelled once more, watching the white puff of air that came out his mouth every time he spoke.

They were now completely drenched, and Robin knew if they stayed outside any longer, they were both going to get a horrible case of pneumonia. He quickly dropped his gaze to see if she was capable of walking.

Boots, good.

High heeled boots, bad. Very bad.

His gaze shifted to her hands, still tucked under her arm pits and he could see that she wasn't wearing any gloves either.

"Come on!" he yelled before turning around once more. This time he heard her follow him and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where are we going?" she yelled from behind him.

"My place, it's within walking distance. Hurry up!" he said before taking off his gloves and handing them to her.

"What's this?" she asked from next to him and he intentionally kept his pace slow just so she could catch up.

"Your fingers are red from the cold." He observed and watched her untuck one of her hands from under her arms to take a look at her fingers -which were indeed an angry red. She opened her mouth to protest but instead of saying anything, she took the gloves from his hand and put them on.

"Are you gonna be able to walk?" he asked her after a pause as he switched his gaze back and forth between her high heeled boots and the steep hill that awaited them.

"I'll be fine." She commented but he could already hear the uncertainty in her voice.

Walking up the hill and to his house was going to be a real challenge since Robin already had troubles coming down here. Not trusting her with her judgment, he started walking uphill but kept an eye on her walking next to him just in case.

It took only two steps for her to lose her balance and before he knew it, Robin was grabbing her hand and helping her get back on her feet. And much to his surprise, she let him.

With the pace they were going, and with Robin stopping in every two steps to make sure Regina was doing okay even though their fingers were still laced together, it took almost half an hour to finally make it back to his house and he did not let go of her hand until he had to fish his keys out of his pocket. When they made it in, they were both drenched and Regina was practically trembling. The sight reminded Robin of their little field trip when she came back into the tent, complaining of the cold. But that was nothing compared to now and Robin watched as she took her coat off along with her boots which were both wet with snow.

"Thank you." He heard her say softly the minute she hung up her coat, and it was so unexpected that, instead of answering it, he just nodded quickly before turning around and stepping into the living room.

"You're welcome to stay here until the storm passes." He spoke as he once again returned to his spot in front of the windows and opened the curtains to peek outside. His coffee was now just a cold liquid abandoned somewhere on the piano. He made a mental note to make a new pot.

"Then I'll probably be out your hair in a couple of hours." She said as she walked up to stand right next to him and when he turned to look at her with her stocking clad feet on his hardwood floor, he couldn't help but let out a soft smile. When the heels were off, her height had gotten considerably shorter though she tried to compensate by standing up straight.

"I doubt that." He remarked before pointing outside and watched her look out the window. The fog was getting heavier along with storm and there was absolutely no way that this blizzard was ending in a couple of hours. Hell, it was probably getting worse. Did this woman not watch the weather channel?

She cringed when she saw the weather outside and shook her head before walking back into the living room.

"So this is where you live…" she remarked quietly and looked around the room. Robin followed her gaze as he made sure there was nothing to be embarrassed about, and in that moment, he was secretly glad that he had already gotten rid of the leftover dinner he had gulfed down in front of the TV last night. His living room was not the cleanest in the world but it certainly looked… appealing.

"I didn't know you played." She then said, her eyes coming to a halt on his wall piano.

He nodded before taking a couple of steps towards it before grabbing his already cold coffee on it. "I'm not good or anything, I just like to sit down and play it to myself every once in a while."

Before heading for the kitchen, his gaze caught her skirt which was practically damp with snow. Silently cursing himself that he hadn't thought of this earlier, he spoke. "Do you want a change of clothes?"

"Oh?" she followed his gaze to look down at her skirt. "I… uhm, that won't be necessary, thank you."

_Of course it wasn't, stupid Robin. What was she going to do? Wear your old pajama pants?_

"Sure…" he muttered quietly before heading to the kitchen.

Yes, it was all arguing, bantering and constant bickering at school, but now that they were alone and now that Regina had a big reason to be nice to Robin -just like that time in the field trip- it was once again awkward between them and he felt it to his core. Not knowing if this was a bad or a good thing, he quickly busied his mind with making more coffee, figuring they wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon. For starters, Regina was not going to want to spend the night and that was understandable but Robin needed all the caffeine he could get to convince her that it was a stupid idea to try and go outside in that weather.

A few minutes later he walked back into the living room, holding two mugs and spotted her on his couch with one leg tucked under her. He couldn't help but find the whole sight before him adorable; her curled up on his couch with her entire dress suit that she refused to take off no matter how uncomfortable and wet it was.

Fighting the smile off of his lips, he passed her the mug before sitting on the arm chair himself. She accepted the drink gratefully before blowing on it a bit and leaning back further in the couch. Silence filled the air which she broke after a beat.

"Do winters usually get this bad around here?" she asked, gazing out the window. Robin had left the curtain open on purpose, just so they could watch the storm outside.

"Usually, yes." He replied before taking a small sip from his drink and instantly regretting the decision when his taste-buds were singed. "That's why we tend to stay indoors during blizzards."

"I _was_ going home." She turned to look at him but he was still having trouble getting accustomed to her soft voice. He was used to seeing her yelling, not being all domestic in his house. Guess she _had_ been very desperate when he had come to save her almost an hour ago. "I stayed in school after we dismissed the students, got a bit of paperwork to catch up on. When I was done, the weather had already gotten worse and I decided to take the shortcut to go home as quickly as possible."

He nodded quietly before speaking. "And what happens if you can't go home tonight?"

"I will."

"Hate to break it to you, but I don't think your car is gonna start working anytime soon, and there is no way in hell you're walking home." He stared at her.

She, in return, avoided his gaze and stayed silent.

"You know, you're welcome to stay here." He spoke again after a beat with a gentle tone.

"That would be highly inappropriate and I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble." She said quickly like it was a memorized answer.

"It would cause me no trouble at all and when it comes to being inappropriate…" he leaned over and supported his elbows on his knees with a soft smile. "I think we're already past that point, don't you think?"

And at that point, Robin swore that he had caught a hint of a subtle blush and a smile before she shook her head and looked away.

#

It was now entirely dark out, and Robin did not remember when he got out of his seat to turn on the lights, but he had at some point of their now fluent conversation. He had left the curtains open on purpose just so they could keep an eye of the snow storm that was still going on outside, and their coffee mugs were now both empty and abandoned somewhere on the coffee table.

"No no no, that's not how it happened." Regina let out a light laugh in her seat. One of her feet was still tucked under her as the other dangled freely from the couch. Even though she had refused to accept Robin's idea to change her clothes, she had discarded her jacket somewhere during the evening and now sat in front of him on the couch with her white button down and a black pencil shirt -which had completely dried. "Killian was breaking the rules so I did what had to be done."

"You pulled his ear?" Robin replied in an amusing smile as he rested his elbow on the side of his armchair.

"Only a little!" she defended herself. "You were there, you saw it!"

"Exactly, I saw it! The boy's ear was completely red!"

"Well…" she scoffed. "It's not my fault if he's sensitive."

"You were quick to punish him though…" Robin leaned back into the armchair with a comfortable sigh. "I mean, the kid did one thing wrong and-

"One thing?" Regina asked incredulously. "I have his detention slip from that day, let me show you if it was really _one thing_ or not." With that she left her seat and jogged towards the hallway to retrieve her bag. Robin watched her stocking clad feet hit the hardwood floor and remembered once again how cute he was actually finding her. As it turned out, Regina Mills without her scary high heels was just a petite woman with beautiful legs.

_Stop staring at her legs, Robin._

He forced his gaze to switch back to the view from his window as he watched the snow outside. Seconds later, Regina was back with her black purse that Robin was sure belonged to a famous designer. She sat back down on the couch and started shuffling through it.

"Can't believe you carry the detention slips around with you." Robin laughed, watching her go through her small purse.

"I don't usually, but I forgot to file them this month so…" as she still concentrated on the contents of her purse, she tilted it just to get a better look, and just then, a small plastic bag fell out from it onto Robin's carpet.

He frowned and was just about to point it out when he realized Regina hadn't even noticed her missing belonging. So shrugging, Robin left his seat to pick it up, and he was just about to hand it back to her with a small note of 'you dropped this' when he actually took notice of the contents.

"Regina…" he spoke slowly, his gaze still on the tiny plastic bag in his hand.

"Since when are you on a first name basis with- What's that?" she frowned when she looked up.

"I can't believe you still have this!" Robin turned to look down at Regina on the couch from where he was standing, his eyes wide with surprise. "This is Killian's weed!"

"Oh…" Regina shrugged before returning her attention back to her purse. "Graham gave it to me and I guess I just forgot."

"How can you forget about having a bag of weed in your purse?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Yes, it was probably not a big deal and yes, Regina was probably going to throw it away the minute she remembered it, but what mattered then was that Robin was holding it between his fingers and a wicked idea was starting form in his mind. His lips curved into a small smile before lifting his gaze once again off from the plastic bag to look down at Regina -who was still shuffling through her bag.

When he stayed silent for another minute or two, Regina looked up in confusion before seeing the smirk on his face. His gaze went to the weed in his hand and back at her questioning look before he wiggled his eyebrows and widened his smile.

It didn't take long for Regina to catch up.

"No…" she said first, slowly. "No, no, no, I know what you're thinking. Absolutely not." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You're always bragging about how you don't always go by the rules." Robin shrugged. "Let's see it."

"Not by smoking an illegal substance that belonged to a student!"

"Why not? Who'll know?"

At that point, Robin was pretty sure he had a death wish but holding the pack of weed in his hand and knowing that him and Regina were not leaving this house for the next 48 hours at least, gave him ideas he couldn't quite distract himself from. They were stuck with each other anyway, why not make the best of it?

He watched her as her gaze flickered to the bag of weed he was holding and she licked her lips in anticipation before opening her mouth to speak.

"Give me that." She ordered in a low, slightly husky voice and who was he to deny her?

He tossed the plastic bag her way and she caught it midair before turning it over in her hands as she examined it carefully. Frowning, Robin watched her in curiosity and he was about to ask what was so interesting about it when she raised her head and spoke.

"Do you have something to roll this with?"

And in that exact moment Robin silently thanked Will Scarlet for bringing him a litte tobacco kit from his last trip to England; filled with cigars, two sets of pipes and a box of cigar paper he didn't think he'd ever need.

He nodded happily and watched her lips curve into a smile.

"Okay, I need that along with a plate, tweezers, and some candles."

Ten minutes later Robin was going through his kitchen cabinets. The cigar paper he had found stuffed in the drawer right underneath his TV, candles had been also easy and he had to search his bathroom just to find the tweezers his ex-wife had forgot before she moved out. Now, grabbing a plate from his kitchen, he made his way back to the living room to find Regina sitting on the couch as she pulled the coffee table closer to her. She had pulled her hair up while he was gone, leaving her neck exposed in a sense that reminded him of defenselessness.

He passed her whatever she needed before sitting back down on the armchair. She quickly got to work; emptying the contents of the plastic bag to the plate before picking up the tweezers and working on a task Robin couldn't quite understand. But as he watched her concentration grow by each passing second, he was sure of one thing.

Regina Mills had done this before.

As a matter of fact it seemed like she had done it many times before.

"What are the tweezers for?" he couldn't help but ask after a beat. Robin was not the epitome of innocence either; he had smoked in the past before back when he was a teenager -but it had been always amongst groups, accompanied with a can of beer as his friends passed around joints after joints. He had occasionally smoked yes, but he had never been experienced enough to actually witness the purchase of the illegal substance, and he always preferred to watch her friends roll it for him and the group.

"You have to separate the buds from the seeds." She spoke without looking at him. Robin opened his mouth to ask another question but she continued like she already knew what he was going to say. "And the candles will help with the smell since we're not in the position to open the windows."

Robin nodded in understanding. He couldn't help but wonder how many times had she used candles to eliminate the smell around her just so the others wouldn't notice. She didn't look like the kind of person who'd be reckless enough to get caught but that didn't stop Robin from voicing his next question.

"So… you've done this before?"

"The people I hung out with used to…" she paused mid-sentence before reaching for the cigar paper. She bit her lip and he watched as she blinked a couple of times in frustration before deciding to rephrase. "A very long time ago, yes."

She then reached for one of the cigars and ripped open the wrap that surrounded it with tweezers before emptying the tobacco on the plate right next to the small, green and brown colored seeds. Rolling open the cigar paper, she lined it first with a pinch of tobacco before finally adding the buds along with a filter to the very end. Robin was speechless as he watched her roll the paper to form a joint -which she licked close before twisting the other end.

"Wow…" Robin finally managed to say and caught the glimpse of a proud smile forming on her dark colored lips before she passed the blunt to him.

"Can you light it?" she asked a bit wary. After all she did not know the extent of Robin's affiliations with illegal substances. Unbeknownst to her, Robin used to be an avid smoker before he quit about six years ago.

He took the joint from her hand before getting up to fetch an ashtray along with a lighter as she busied herself with rolling a second one. Even Robin was experienced enough to know she'd definitely not be rolling once she was under the influence.

Sitting back down on the armchair before placing the ashtray on the coffee table right next to the plate, Robin brought the perfectly rolled joint to his lips and lit the end as he inhaled. He first heard the crackling of the burning tobacco along with the a few seeds that made their way into the blunt. Then the smoke was in his mouth and he swallowed before feeling the sharp, yet familiar sting in his throat. No matter how much he tried to play it cool around Regina, moments later he lost to his urges to cough in order to relieve the back of his throat of the burning sensation he was now currently experiencing. Another cough and the smoke was out of his body and he laughed a little at his incompetence before taking another short puff, more accustomed to the feeling this time.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Regina smirked a little at his immediate reaction before finishing off rolling the second one.

"Not used to it, are we?" she couldn't help but comment, eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Not as much as you." Robin bit back before passing her the joint and let her smoke in between rolling another.

He watched her as she took it from his hand and placed it in between her fingers, closing her lips around the filter and taking a long inhale. The whole act had Robin watching her like a hawk after his prey as she swallowed the smoke, sending it deep into her lungs before letting it out in one long exhale. It was a mesmerizing scene to watch, and he felt himself wishing she'd do it again, much slower this time.

Much to his dismay, she passed him back the joint with an acceptable excuse of having to keep on rolling at least a couple more before she could finally join him in the act of smoking. Lucky for them both, Regina's hand was fast and before they knew it, she was leaning back in the couch with a joint between her fingers, watching the ceiling above her before bringing her hand to her lips.

It was already past midnight, and storm outside had only gotten stronger. Robin actually thought about getting up and lighting the fireplace just so they could have another view to look at besides the blizzard, but after finishing one joint and moving onto another, he found standing up to be a much more difficult task than he had originally thought. The drug was beginning to have its effects on him as Robin closed his eyes and listened to the silence that surrounded him. He wanted to get up, he really did but at that point even moving his head caused him to be dizzy and disorientated.

"You…" he spoke, his voice hoarse from the smoking. "I didn't think you'd do that…"

"Do what exactly?" she spoke and her voice was equally hoarse, but now hers came out in a low, feminine purr that Robin swore he could spend hours listening.

"Smoke marijuana with me." He laughed a little at the ridiculousness of the situation; him smoking along with his boss he had a high school crush on.

"It's because…" she paused mid-sentence, apparently taking another puff having to seem more important to her than getting her message across. "I actually enjoy doing this, I just don't get to do it that often."

"I can't _possibly_ imagine why." He said in a mocking tone before overcoming the dizziness and turning to look at her, sprawled on his couch. A brief thought of sitting next to her crossed his mind but he was once again stopped by the challenging task of standing up. "You _liiive_ by the rules…"

"Oh you and your obsession with the rules…" Regina scoffed. "If I was so dependent on the rules then I wouldn't be smoking here with you now, would I? Besides, you read that rule book twice as many times as I have and you know it."

Robin could tell she was trying to say the whole thing in her regular, commanding voice that had the students usually lining up when they heard it, but instead, her voice came out soft and quiet as she enunciated each word in slow strokes like a painter working on their canvas. He then imagined Regina in front of a chevalier with a brush in her hand. She looked gorgeous.

"That's because I read _everything_." He confessed what was already known by the whole school before adding. "I can even read you."

"I'm not a Victorian novel." She giggled and Robin realized he liked her giggling.

"No, far from it; you are bitter realism, with a slight touch of 19th century romanticism." He finally said in a low tone that held a trace of longing.

There was a long pause from Regina's part, which she spent taking another long drag from her joint before exhaling it ever so lazily. Then she asked…

"What's that supposed to mean?" she sat up a bit straighter in the couch, her gaze now following Robin's every move as he blinked and raised his head from his shoulder to look at her.

"It means…" he started. "You're an issue I internalized deep in my mind. Every time I try to resolve it, you appear by the doorway to slam the harsh truth in my face like a painful slap, sometimes quite literally. You are my boss, and I'm your employee. That is the reality and you are there every time to remind me of it. There is even a touch of Bukowski-like dirty realism in you that alarms me, as if there's a distressing and unsettling quality that flashes across your eyes every once in a while that everyone sort of misses."

He paused to take another short puff and realized his mouth was entirely dry from talking. Though, it did not stop him.

"But I don't, I never miss it. Then there's a hint of romanticism in you that I detect, it's subtle but it's ever so present. A kind of distance you put between yourself and the others, along with your minor eagerness to flee this city and never come back. It's like… you want to be away from everyone, live in your own world, and yet you can't quite detach yourself because every time you try, that cruel realist in you comes to remind you of the brutal reality that surrounds you. You are filled with contradictions and conflicts, and every time I try to read you, I find myself going back to the preface over and over again just to fathom what the author tried to disclose." He breathed out before slowly swallowing. "Because I'd love to read you Regina, I really would, but it seems like I'm stuck in chapter 1."

It felt to Robin as if he'd been babbling on and on about irrelevant facts about her that no one cared to hear about. It felt unimportant and rushed but when he looked up to see her intent gaze on him with wide eyed and parted lips, he finally came to a realization that his words had a much bigger impact upon her than he had thought.

"What if…" she spoke in a husky voice, before breaking their eye contact and looking down at the floor. "What if the book is just very short? And the reason you can't move past chapter 1 is because there are no more chapters?"

"It certainly feels heavier than that." He replied without missing a beat and it had her looking back at him again with a kind of flicker in her eyes that resembled hope.

"I have to confess…" she licked her lips before leaning back in the couch once more and looking up to the ceiling again. And just like that, the moment between them was gone only to leave its place to something much lighter. Robin would have preferred that if it meant she was going to be smiling more. "That was not what I had in mind when I asked you that question."

"What did you have in mind, milady?" Now that he was high, Robin realized he liked that word a lot. He was certainly going to use it more often.

"I don't know…" she shrugged. "Guess I was expecting a mockery."

"Me? Making fun of you? I'd never!" he replied sarcastically that had both of them in a sudden laughing fit.

"You're right, that's usually me." She laughed along with him as Robin recollected all the past events of them engaging in some kind of sarcastic banter.

"Though if we're confessing things… I must say," he then managed to sit up to take a better look at her before speaking. "I am a big fan of your choice in clothing."

Yes, the weed was definitely bringing out the courage in him. Much to his delight, it was also beginning to bring the sense of humor in her.

"The skirts or the heels?" She bit her lip and gave him a sultry smile that had him leaning forward towards her. Too bad she was on the couch and he was on the armchair, and the distance between them just made it impossible for Robin to move closer to her.

"Both." He confessed before licking lips. Regina's attention was instantly drawn into the little move.

He shamelessly let his eyes wonder down to the little skirt she was wearing at that moment and he was secretly glad that she had refused the offer of a change of clothes just hours ago. The skirt clung tight to her body, and from the way she was sitting; it was hiked up to mid-thigh, giving Robin a chance to roam his eyes over parts of her body he hadn't seen before.

"You're staring." She observed quietly from where she was sitting, and it was enough to have him snap back to reality. However, her next words had a whole different effect on him and he found his lips curving into a wide grin. "And if we're confessing things… I like you staring."

"I don't think I'll ever want to stop." He breathed out. "Your turn."

Now that the ball was in her court once more, he watched her giggle before laying hand on the edge of her skirt, threatening to pull the material upward as she sank her teeth into her lip before speaking in seductive voice.

"I've always wondered how big your dick is."

Her last confession was enough to stop him dead in his tracks before raising his eyebrows in surprise. Moments later a low chuckle left his lips as she followed along, this time triggering a loud laugh from him.

"Did you really just say 'dick'?" he asked, out of breath from laughing. "As in my junk?"

"Would the word 'cock' make you more comfortable?" she asked instead before letting out another joyous laugh as she leaned back into the couch.

"Wow… you're really high." Robin observed from where he was sitting.

"And you're not _high_ enough." She licked her lips before shifting her gaze to his pants.

Following her gaze, he looked down at his crotch before looking back up at her. Catching the double meaning in her sentence, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You have the remedy to that." He teased back, and was glad to see her grin in return.

"Would you elaborate on that, professor?" she spoke in a low voice. "What would that remedy be?"

"I'll tell you," God, he wanted nothing more than to touch her right now. "If you call me professor one more time, and undo the top button of your shirt."

His last sentence had her switching her gaze back and forth between him and the buttons on her shirt before letting out a short giggle.

"Why? Are you too stoned to come here and do it yourself?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Because it was absolutely true. Robin was in no position to even sit up let alone walk over there. His legs had stopped functioning about an hour ago and he silently cursed himself for it. Now all that was left were the power of his words. "But the view would be pleasing and helpful to the… _hardening_ situation in hand."

"Your hand or mine?"

"Guess." He wiggled his eyebrows that had her let out another loud laugh.

Then, he watched as she did the unimaginable and stood up. After a brief wobbling on her feet and holding on the arm of the sofa for support -which was met with a chuckle on Robin's part-, she took a step towards him. Even seeing her towering over him was enough to get him excited as he watched her brilliantly coordinate with eyes wide open. Standing up when one was high was a miraculous thing, and Regina Mills was probably a goddess for overcoming it.

Two steps later she was standing right in front of him with a sultry smile decorating her lips. Then, her right hand hoisted her skirt up and she put one knee right next to his thigh on the arm chair. It was enough to have him gasping in surprise mixed with arousal. Her other hand came to lift her skirt up even further in order to give herself more room to maneuver in her clothes before placing her other leg on the other side of him. Second later she was sitting down in his lap, straddling him on the small armchair he had glued himself into.

His heart beat sped up as his hands instinctively went to her thighs, before he raised his head to meet her eyes. She bit her lips before enveloping her arms around his neck and looking down at him.

"Figured it was time that I took matters into my own hand." She leaned down and purred against his ear.

Robin's senses were on fire. He had lost the ability to think, to speak, even to breathe. All he was aware of the woman who was now straddling him and how her legs felt under his touch. Without being able to lift his gaze off of her, he swallowed in anticipation.

"The last time I did that, you threatened me with a restraining order." He managed to finally whisper after a beat, his gaze shifting momentarily to her cleavage (the top button still unfortunately holding its place) before looking back up to meet her chocolate brown eyes again.

"This is not last time." She said, though her voice was getting considerably lower and she was leaning heavily against him.

Robin wanted to do many things. First of all, he wanted to tighten his hands around her thighs, then he wanted to sneak one hand up to her neck before guiding her head to him -which was now resting in the crook of his neck. Even though the sensation of her breathing against his skin felt amazing, he still wanted to gaze deep into her eyes before crashing his lips against hers. He wanted to make her moan, writhe and groan against him as his hands traveled down her body.

Yes, Robin wanted to do all these things, but -he didn't know if it was from marijuana or the fact that it was almost 2 am and they were way behind their sleeping schedule-, he felt his limbs starting to get heavy.

"I wish we could always live in the now." He muttered softly against her hair.

Her head was now buried deep into his neck. One of her hands rested on his shoulder as the other one slid down to his chest before letting out a soft giggle.

"We always live in the now." She whispered against his skin.

"I mean _now_ now, not the _future_ now." He tried to explain, his eyes already closed.

"Future now sucks…"

Those were the last words he heard her say before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Thirst.

Absolute and unquenchable thirst.

Robin licked his lips before letting out a low groan. Why was it that in the middle of the best sleep he was having, he was met with the ever so annoying feeling of undeniable thirst? Why were all the basic human needs demanding to be fulfilled at the most inappropriate of times?

Licking his lips one more time and deciding that his precious sleep was already over, he forced his eyes open -only to close them right back again when the light invaded his sight. Blinking a couple of times, he tried opening his eyes once more, and the first thing he saw through the open curtains was the blizzard. It had not stopped snowing throughout the entire night and Robin was not surprised at all.

The second thing he noticed was that he was not alone.

Frowning, he looked down and finally found the source of the heaviness he had been feeling since the moment he woke up. The memories of last night came back to him instantly -at least they _partially_ did since he was still fuzzy on some of the details -but there was one big fact that was impossible to ignore; Regina Mills had fallen asleep straddling him.

Robin frowned and raised one hand to her leg just to make sure she was real, and when he was met with the material of her skirt, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was indeed not a dream, and Regina was definitely asleep on top of him.

Well, he looked up, somebody had been listening to his prayers.

However, much to his dismay, the thirst was getting more unbearable by the second, and no matter how much he wanted to just lay there and enjoy the sensation of having her in his arms after such a long time, he was desperately in need of a drink.

"Regina…" he muttered, voice still hoarse from last night. One hand went to her waist before giving her a brief pat on the back.

She didn't move. Her face was still buried in the crook of his neck and her arms were wrapped around him in a clingy way that Robin couldn't help but find a bit adorable.

"Regina…" he said, a louder this time and found it difficult to speak with her hair sprawled all over his mouth.

No, that did not look like a woman who was getting up anytime soon.

So, knowing he'd get another, possibly a harsher slap for this, he slid her hand down to her ass before giving her a brief squeeze.

"Time to wake up, love."

That had done it.

She jumped awake and immediately raised her hand from the crook of his neck before looking around in confusion. There was a brief moment Robin spent watching her as she blinked a couple of times and looked down at him. He could tell from the surprised and sleepy look on her face that she was as confused as he was. Well, probably lot more than him…

"Well…" she mumbled. "This is a situation I had never thought I'd wake up into." Her voice was coated with sleep and she sighed before lying back on his chest, obviously in need of more sleep. Robin might have been thirsty, but Regina was definitely the one who was having the worse hangover.

"Do you need a minute?" he asked her and realized she hadn't commented about his hand on her ass. So, against his better judgment, he kept it there.

"More like a century." She groaned one more time against his chest.

Then she sighed one last time before pushing herself from against his chest, one hand still resting on his body before trying to move one leg so she could get up. Though the minute she shuffled in Robin's lap, she let out a sharp "ow!" before collapsing back onto his chest again.

"What happened?" Robin asked in worry, his hands instantly coming down to rest on her thighs as he caressed her skin through her stockings.

"I fell asleep like this now I can't move my legs…" she muttered with a sad voice and Robin had to physically stop himself from letting out a chuckle.

"Does it hurt?" and for a second he felt like he was talking to a child. Regina nodded against his chest.

"Well…" Robin spoke. "If you can wrap your legs around me, I'll pick you up and.."

"If I could wrap my legs around you, I'd be on the ground right now… and leaving."

And the old Regina was back again…

"If you're _that_ willing to leave, I could always get a wheelchair and wheel you out?" he suggested instead, eager to go along with their morning banter.

"Funny." She bit back.

"Besides, I don't think you're leaving anytime soon." He nudged her arm and pointed at the window as she followed his gaze and looked outside only to meet with the ongoing snow storm. He watched her let out an exhausted sigh as he looked down to finally become aware of her current choice of outfit.

The dress suit she had refused to take off the night before was finally coming back to bite her in the ass. The skirt was hiked all the way up to her upper thighs and the material was already crumpled up between their bodies. The once perfectly ironed, button down shirt was rolled at the sleeves and the first few button had become undone during the mess that had taken place last night. In total she looked disheveled and sleepy, and Robin knew if she was to be his guest for another night, there was no way she was surviving in those clothes.

"I'll get you something to wear." He said, pointing at her clothes and was surprised when she followed his gaze before nodding. Well, she didn't have much choice in the matter anyway considering the snow storm outside.

She, once again, placed a hand on his chest before pushing herself off of him and lifting one leg. However the attempt proved to be fruitless once more as she winced at the pain radiating from her upper legs before collapsing back down on him with a frustrated groan.

And no matter how adorable Robin thought she was, he really was getting thirstier by the minute…

So without waiting for her to give it another try, one of his hands grabbed her thigh as the other found its place under her ass. Taking a deep breath and hoping that his sense of balance was back in order, he picked her up in one swift move and turned them around only to place her on the armchair he had just vacated.

"Ouch!" she said, immediately closing her legs and relaxing back into the armchair.

"You're welcome." Robin muttered, standing in front of her as he took a moment to admire his work.

Leaving her in his living room just so she could take a moment to gather herself, Robin made his way to his bedroom with a slight wobble in each step. True, he was no longer high, but last night's events still made him dizzy on his feet and he did not even want to imagine how Regina felt.

Ignoring his perfectly made bed, he made his way to his wardrobe before quickly changing out of his jeans. He had left the house with them the night before and when Regina refused to get a change of clothes from him, he had left his jeans on also, hoping that she'd feel at least a bit more comfortable. But that was before they knew they were going to be trapped in here for almost the whole weekend and Robin sighed in relief as he changed into his sweatpants followed by a black shirt. Once done, he quickly began his next quest.

Finding another set of sweatpants for her was easy, but he was still having doubts about what top to choose for her. For a second, he thought about digging back to Marian's old clothes she had forgotten before she left, but he quickly shook the idea; thinking Regina would prefer his clothes to his cheating wife's whom she knew nothing about –that may not even fit. Then he reached for a long sleeve tank top but stopped in his tracks when he remembered the weather outside. Putting the shirt back, this time he reached for a hoodie. It was a bit thick and it was also oversized, but it was better than all the other options.

When he made his way back to the living room, Regina was already on her feet, trying to iron out her skirt with one hand as she arranged the pillows on his couch back to their correct places. She sighed in relief when she saw him.

"The whole place stinks." She observed before throwing a side way glance to the weed on the coffee table. They had practically smoked the whole thing, but the ash tray was the main source of the smell.

"We can't open the windows." He said before passing her the clothes -which she gratefully took from his hands.

Even though they refused to speak about it, what they did last night was still hanging in the air. Smoking weed with a coworker was one thing, but the real issue Robin knew Regina was avoiding was not rolling joint after joint as they laughed the night away, but the conversation they had during it. Yes, the last night was still a blur and he couldn't quite pinpoint where exactly their innocent little dialogue had turned sexual, but he knew that it had and now he could see her avoiding his eyes as she recollected last night's events.

"I'll light the candles."

"I'll do it, you go change." He replied before moving over to the coffee table and locating the lighter from last night.

She nodded after a quiet 'thanks' before disappearing into the hallway.

#

Regina Mills was avoiding him.

And it was way too obvious since Robin's place was small and she had absolutely nowhere to hide.

It had started when she had come back to the living room, dressed in his own clothes. And no matter Robin tried to act unaffected by the whole thing, his eyes were on her petite form, now donned in his oversized hoodie and sweatpants she had tied at the waist in order to keep them from falling off. It had taken all he had in him not to comment but he couldn't even if he wanted to anyway. The minute he tried talking to her, she would just run off to some other room in the house, mumbling an excuse.

It was as if she didn't want to be in the same room as him.

First, it was the bathroom. Then when he started to worry about her spending more time in the bathroom than what was appropriate, it became the kitchen. And whenever he came into the kitchen, she made up a lame excuse about wanting to go check something in her purse. When he made his way back to the living room again, he'd see her leaving the room with another excuse to go visit the bathroom again.

They spent an hour dancing around each other before Robin decided that he had enough of it.

He could hear her shuffling through the drawers in his kitchen and even though part of him was glad that she was beginning to relax in the confines of his house, he still knew they had things to discuss if they wanted to keep working together at school.

So he caught her right as she was leaving his kitchen.

He stopped her when he appeared by the doorway without a warning before suddenly putting a hand on the wall, blocking her path. She jumped in surprise.

"You're avoiding me." He remarked, raising his eyebrows in question.

"No." she answered quickly like she knew the question was coming.

"You can't run away from me forever, Regina. This is a small house."

"I'm not running, I'm just…" she took a deep breath before switching her gaze to the mug in her hand. "I know you wanna talk."

"And you don't?"

"Not so eager, no." she replied, still avoiding his eyes.

"Is it because of what you said to me last night?" he asked with a smirk before taking his hand off the doorway now that he knew she wasn't running away.

"I… I might have confessed some things I shouldn't." Her voice was barely audible and she was looking at everywhere but his eyes. He couldn't help but find the whole thing adorable, especially now that she was wearing pants that were threatening to fall off any second, along with an oversized hoodie that reached past her hips.

"Like you wondering about how big my dick is? Does that count?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

She instantly winced at his words.

"One of the many embarrassing things I wanna forget about, yes…"

"Was this before or after you sat on my lap?" Yes, he probably shouldn't have been pressing the issue any further but considering how she was squirming under his gaze, he found it difficult not to.

"It was right around the time of your romantic speech about wanting to read me like a book." She bit back with a sarcastic smile.

He froze before parting his lips in surprise. He had completely forgotten about that.

He watched her shake her head in disbelief before letting out a scoff. Taking a sip from her tea, she took a step and pressed her back on the doorway. Mirroring her moves, he also took a step back and leaned back on the doorway right opposite of her, his gaze switching back and forth between her and the kitchen tiles. Silence filled the air before he decided he should be the one to break it.

"So, we both said things last night that we shouldn't." He observed quietly.

"If it makes you feel any better, I liked the speech." She shrugged.

"If it makes you feel any better, I liked the word 'professor'."

"It doesn't." She let out a bitter laugh.

They fell into another silence again but this time it was a comfortable one, with both of them knowing what the other one was thinking. Then, Robin raised his head only to look deep in her eyes before pointing at them both, hoping to indicate whatever was going on between them with a simple swing of his finger.

"You can't deny it." He finally said and realized he was holding his breath for her answer. Because yes, even though he couldn't deny the attraction between them, he just needed to hear her confirm it.

"After last night…" she spoke after a beat. "I'm not."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. He ignored his heart beat speeding up inside his chest.

"We don't have to talk about it, Regina." He leaned his head back against the wall, eyes still on her, quietly sipping her tea. "Just promise me that you won't run away this time."

She bit her lower lip as her eyes flickered back to the mug in her hand. Then shaking her head, she looked back up again. "I can't promise you that.

"If this is about your rules then I can assure you, the teacher handbook never specifies that two coworkers-"

"It's not about the rules." She interrupted him with a little tremor in her voice that alarmed his senses. "It's just that… You have expectations and I'm not sure if I can meet them."

"I don't have any expectations, look," he said, lifting himself off the doorway only to take a step forwards. He shrugged before speaking. "I just want you to stop running. Besides, whatever expectations _you think_ I have, you'll never know if you meet them unless you stop avoiding me."

She nodded slowly before looking back down at her mug again. It seemed to him that the little hot beverage in her hand was what she took her strength from.

"We'll see how it goes." She finally muttered softly before letting out a stuttered breath. So he was not the only one who felt like his heart was about to burst right from his chest. The thought comforted and yet amused him.

He took another step towards her and she sucked in a deep breath before pushing her chest forward. He smirked, knowing that she thought he was advancing towards her, maybe even to kiss her, but instead, when he was merely inches from her, he bent his head and took a sniff.

"What is this? Cinnamon?" he pointed at the tea in her hand.

"Oh…" she snapped out of her little trance before clearing her throat. "I don't know, I found it in your kitchen."

"Let's get you something decent to drink."

#

"So, let me get this straight…" Robin said as he shuffled through the drawers in his bedroom. "You'll eat anything, as long as it has apples in it?"

"Mm hmm." Regina nodded from the threshold of his room and he could tell she was a bit weary when it came to stepping into his private habitat. The thought only made him smirk. She was nursing a mug in her hand, filled to the brim with apple tea Robin had found rummaging through his kitchen cabinets, and that's how he had accidentally discovered her obsession with apples.

"How about… apple pie?" he asked, liking the way how she was at least making an effort. Well, she had agreed not to run away after all, and Robin was glad to see her stick by it.

"Love it." She blew on her tea before taking a small, cautious sip.

"How about…" he closed one drawer and opened the next, knowing that it was supposed to be there somewhere. "Apple tart?"

"Aren't they practically the same thing?" she chuckled and he could feel her eyes on him.

"Okay fine, how about," he threw her a playful look over his shoulder. "Apple turnovers?"

"My favorite."

Robin nodded in understanding before finally spotting the little blanket he knew he had somewhere in his drawers. He stood up and walked over to her with the blanket she had requested from him just minutes ago in hand. It was still freezing outside and Robin now knew how easy it was for her to get cold.

She smiled at him in gratitude before extending one hand to take the blanket from him however he pulled it away from her grasp in the last minute with a playful smile.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red." She answered without a pause, her eyes flickering to the mug in her hand. "And black."

He nodded before finally passing her the blanket and together they headed back to the living room.

"You're asking me about my favorite food, favorite color… I'm starting to feel like this is a first date." She nervously joked from behind him and he chuckled once they were seated on the couch, in front of the TV.

"What makes you think that it's not?" Robin bit back as he grabbed the remote control, mentally checking to make sure he wasn't touching her in any way. He was already fairly close to her, secretly glad that she had chosen to sit in the middle instead of the far end of the couch but he still felt like he had to make sure he wasn't making her uncomfortable in anyway. And from the way she was drinking her tea and smiling, Robin was pretty sure she was way more at ease compared to last night. A memory of her sitting on the exact same spot with her dress suit sans heels popped into her mind and he grinned at the flashback.

"Well if it is, then my choice in clothing is horribly wrong."

He followed her gaze to look down at her sweatpants clad body along with his hoodie that she was practically drowning in, and gave a sultry smile before dragging his gaze back to her questioning eyes.

"If you don't like it, you can always take it off." He shrugged jokingly, turning his attention back to the screen before him as he tried to find at least a decent channel to watch considering they were locked in together until the weather had cleared up.

After passing up the umpteenth sports game on TV, he was beginning to think that it was hopeless and that they should have stuck with the soap opera he had seen just two channels back but he snapped out of his thoughts when from the corner of his eye, he saw her lean over and place her mug on the coffee table before getting up.

"What are you doing?" he turned to look at her with a frown.

"Taking you up on your offer." She simply stated before lifting the hoodie up to her waist so she could grasp the waist band of the sweatpants and before he knew it, she brought the pants down, exposing her creamy thighs to his viewing pleasure.

"What… uhm.. you.." Robin murmured incoherently with a swallow. His eyes were glued to her bare legs and he watched as she tossed the pants aside with a relieved sigh. The hoodie fell past her hips again and Robin was having a hard time taking his gaze off of the newly exposed skin. With a playful smile, she sat back down on the couch next to him.

"Since I don't have a penis, the abundance of space in the crotch area was making everything uncomfortable so…" she shrugged before reaching for her mug on the coffee table.

The remote control in his hand was long forgotten as he raised his eyebrows in surprise and stared at her, just to make sure she knew what she was doing. And he stared at her longer because he just couldn't get himself to believe that it was possible for a woman to have legs this perfect. He didn't think he had seen anything ever so flawless and sexy, and maybe if he could touch it just for a short while, he could-

Suddenly, a blanket blocked his view and he was snapped back to reality.

"You were staring." Regina observed with an amused smile as she straightened the blanket on her lap, now covering almost her entire body except for her shoulders and the hand she used to drink her tea. She rested the mug on her thigh before raising one eyebrow at him in question.

"I'm sorry but," he shook his head once before leaning back against the couch. "I'm a man and you have nice legs."

There was a brief pause where he went through the channels, being hyper aware of the fact that Regina had chosen to sit approximately two inches closer to him after she had stood up -causing their arms to slightly brush against each other. Yes, they had their little talk about their current state of their relationship, but that had complicated things even further rather than simplifying them.

Now, it was Robin who didn't know how to act around _Regina_.

Before, there had been a certain boundary he knew he wasn't supposed to cross, but as Regina sat next to him, quietly sipping her tea under a fuzzy blanket without any pants on, he was beginning to think that the boundary they had unspokenly set up was starting to disappear.

"You cold?" he asked after a brief pause when he finally settled on a channel. She had taken the pants off after all -no matter how much Robin tried to avoid thinking about it.

His gaze switched to the petite brunette sitting next to him, sans pants and make up, wearing nothing but his oversized hoodie and he knew he physically had to stop himself from leaning back and wrapping an arm around her.

She shook her head and lifted her blanket with one hand, gesturing him to join her.

"Are you sharing?" he asked after a beat, lips curving into an amused smile.

"The offer only stands for five seconds."

He didn't need to be told twice as he finally closed the distance between them before getting under the blanket himself. Regina hummed in approval as she spread the material over his lap and leaned against him slightly, eyes still on the screen before them. To be honest, Robin did not even know what they were watching, all he could think about was her pressed up against him.

"Robin…" she then suddenly broke the silence and Robin was momentarily shocked at the fact that she had called him by his first name.

"Regina." he mirrored her and was happy to see her lips curve into a small smile. Though getting Regina to smile was not an easy task so for a brief moment, Robin pondered if she was smiling because she was nervous.

"I don't know what _this_ is," she pulled her other hand from under the blanket only to point her finger back and forth between the two. "But I know what it's not."

"Well, what isn't it?" he asked with an amused frown, respecting her ability to make herself clear no matter which situation she was in.

"It's not just a friendship."

"It has never been a friendship, you hate me." He chuckled lightly.

"I _do_ hate you." She approved with a nod and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "But as of last night, I have become aware of the fact that there is more to that hate than I had originally thought."

"It's difficult not to be moved by your heart warming words." He mocked her and was amused to see the deadly look she threw his way.

She swallowed before replying. "So even though I know I didn't promise anything, I still need you to understand that I'm not used to _this._ "

"I haven't done _this_ for a long time either…" he replied and upon hearing his answer, he felt her snuggle even closer to him as she leaned her upper leg against his thigh. He sucked in a deep breath at the sudden contact. She just sipped her tea instead. As someone who claimed that she wasn't used to that kind of thing, she seemed pretty comfortable.

"Well, how did you do it? The whole dating thing?"

Upon hearing her question, his mind instantly darted back to the time after his divorced where he had spent at least a couple of years going to bars and picking up girls.

"I didn't have to do it, I was married." He said instead.

"But…?" she asked.

"But, there were a couple of women after the divorce." He finally admitted, silently hating himself for it.

"How long did it last with them?"

"The longest lasted till brunch."

Suddenly he felt her halt her movements, but before he had a chance to ask her what was wrong, she pulled back slightly only to throw him an incredulous look.

"One night stands? Really?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"Not my proudest moments." He replied, putting a hand up on the back of the couch.

"How did you lure them in?" she then asked, stifling a giggle. "Read them poems till they fell into bed with you?"

"Okay," he leaned forward with a frown before taking the mug away from her hands and placing it on the coffee table. "If we're doing this, I need you to stop making fun of me."

"Or what?" she turned fully towards him now that her hands were empty. "You're gonna quote some Shakespeare?"

"I have more tricks up my sleeve." He responded in a sly tone, daring her to take another step.

"Oh, don't tell me." She scoffed in a playful tone. "Is it Wordsworth?"

She stifled a giggle and wiggled her eyebrows at him which marked the end of Robin's patience.

He dug his hands under the blanket and, without shifting his gaze from her, gently placed his fingers around her waist -which earned him a questioning look from her part.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a curious tone but making no attempts whatsoever to remove herself from his gentle grasp.

"Making sure I won't startle you when I do this." He replied calmly to which Regina raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"This."

Suddenly his fingers dug into her stomach and he started tickling her ruthlessly, ignoring the sudden scream she let out almost instinctively. Her hands landed on his wrists and desperately tried to get his hands away from her body but unfortunately for her, he was a lot stronger, and so he watched as she let out another scream mixed with laughter before wriggling and trying to escape from his grasp -though he wasn't letting her go. He watched her lose control over her body as he tickled her even more, enjoying the loud laughter emerging from her.

"Robin! Please!" she screamed and made another attempt to wriggle out of his grasp on the couch but it only ended with him cornering her against the arm of the sofa, his hands still torturing her to the point of overwhelming laughter.

"You started it!" he bit back.

"I'm sorry! Please stop!"

Robin wouldn't have stopped at all since he was determined on getting even with her however seeing her let another breathless scream, he decided that she had had enough and gradually slowed down no matter how disappointed he was to see her laughter subside. She took in a couple of deep breaths, obviously thankful for the unexpected mercy as she sat out of breath right in front of him, her hands still on his wrists and his fingers still on her waist.

"That was…" she spoke, still panting but when she looked up to meet his eyes, whatever reply Robin had in his mind flew out the window along with his ability to think logically.

A part of his brain practically yelled at him to loosen his grasp on her waist and let her go gently before the whole situation go out of hand. However, another part of him -a part that was dominated by the fact that Regina had also paused and was now staring at him with her lips half parted- that part advised Robin to inch closer to her just to breathe in her scent and let himself get lost a little in her.

That part was dangerous and Robin, under no circumstances, should have let that part rule his body.

Though he did and tightened his grasp on her.

She sank her nails into the skin of his wrist, but instead of wincing in pain his body ignored the sensation altogether as he shifted his gaze back and forth between her brown eyes and her soft lips -which looked so inviting that Robin was just a heartbeat away from bending his head and claiming them as his.

"Robin…" she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Where will I sleep?"

That was the question that snapped Robin back to reality.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he lifted his hands away from her body, and Regina also let go of his wrists after a brief moment of lingering -which did not go unnoticed by him. He pushed himself away from her to give her back the personal space he had stolen from her just moments ago.

"Where do you want to sleep?" he deflected the question back to her just to cover up the fact that he didn't have a decent answer, no, his mind was still busy thinking about what had happened between them just seconds ago. Was that how it was going to work? Pulling away just as they felt things were getting serious? Or did it really take weed or any other illegal substance for them to break the walls between them?

"I don't think I have a lot of options here." She replied. She had been staring deep into his eyes moments ago and now when he looked up, she avoided his gaze and bit her lower lip.

Covering his face with his right hand and leaning back into the couch momentarily to remind himself that he should definitely be calming down, Robin shook his head and thought of all the options. Last night they dozed off with her straddling him and she had woken up with legs asleep and thighs in pain, so tonight he wanted her extra comfortable. His one story, small house only had two other rooms; one bedroom and another room Robin had turned into a study after Marian had left.

He looked down at the couch then looked up at the hallways towards the direction of his bedroom and in that moment he made up his mind.

"Come on," he said before moving the blanket aside and getting up.

"Where are we going?" he heard her say as she obeyed nonetheless and stood up, following him as he headed towards the hallway.

His room was dimly lit. He opened the door and turned on the lights, standing by the doorway and waiting as Regina followed his lead, only to stand right next to him with a questioning gaze.

"Your new room for the night." Robin shrugged, leaning against the doorway as he threw her a side glance.

"Oh, that's okay," she started, hands immediately shooting up in front of her. "You don't have to do that."

"It's just for one night."

Regina shook her head in disbelief and there was a brief pause as Robin watched her lick her lips and stare at the double bed before them. She then turned her head in the direction where they came from before opening her mouth to speak.

"And where will you sleep?" her voice held a trace of longing that Robin hadn't detected before until now.

"On the couch."

And in that moment, Robin could swore he witnessed a hint of disappointment flash across her eyes before she pulled herself together and nodded in understanding. Her bare feet were on the hardwood floor and he forced himself to turn his gaze away from her bare legs.

"Wouldn't uhm…" she licked her lips and looked back to the bed. "Wouldn't it get uncomfortable there?"

"Well, what do you suggest?" Robin's heart sped up in his chest.

"You can…" Regina started but she paused mid-sentence and immediately shut her eyes. She bit her lip, and when she opened her eyes again, the longing in her expression was gone and it was replaced with regret. "Get an extra blanket. Your living room gets cold during the night."

"Right." He swallowed.

Well, what did he expect?

"Goodnight, Miss. Mills." He said after a beat.

Upon hearing her formal title, her lips curved into a warm smile.

"Goodnight, Mr. Locksley."


	14. Chapter 14

Though Robin wasn't much used to sleeping on his couch, he had made it out the night alive and refreshed. Yes, there was some tossing and turning involved and the fact that Regina was sleeping just a few feet away from him, in his bed didn't help either but he had found himself drifting off to sleep just about half an hour later with the TV still on. Waking up now, he rubbed his eyes and yawned before getting up to head towards the window.

Peeking outside through the closed curtains –which he chose not to open since his eyes were still a bit sensitive towards the light- he watched outside the window and saw how the snow storm was beginning to clear up. The trees situated right across his lawn were now visible and fog was nearly gone. He smiled in relief though he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment forming deep in his chest, knowing the fact that this meant Regina would definitely be leaving today. According to her, she was already overdue her stay and besides, he didn't even know how many clean clothes he had for her that would actually fit.

Closing back the curtain, he made his way to his bedroom. It was still very early in the morning, the hall was still dark and as he stood in front of the closed door, he made sure to run his fingers through his ruffled hair a couple of times –a pathetic attempt to fix it, really- before clearing his throat and knocking. When there was no response, he open the door slightly and peeked inside.

"Regina?"

"Mmmh…." Was the only response he got back in return and he found himself chuckling slightly at that.

"May I come in?" even though he had already opened the door, he made sure not to look directly at his bed, half afraid of the fact that he would catch her in a compromising position.

"You're already in…" came her muffled response in return.

He finally fully opened the door before setting his gaze on his bed and on her petite form lying gracefully under the covers. Well, the word _gracefully_ was a bit too much considering she had settled herself right in the middle of his double bed and her body was buried in a pile of blankets. Her head and her arms were sticking out and her hair was all messy. Maybe it wasn't just Robin who had tossed and turned the whole night…

Shaking his head, he walked inside and was immediately surrounded by her own, personal smell that now clouded his bedroom. He smiled and headed over to the windows before opening the curtain so suddenly that it had her groaning loudly from the bed.

"It's time to rise and shine…" he announced and when he turned to look at her, still under the white covers like some sort of royalty, he felt necessary to add, "…princess."

"I'm still your boss." She said, her voice hoarse from sleep. "That makes me a Queen in the least."

"Excuse me, _your majesty_." He laughed before walking over to his wardrobe. "The storm has cleared out."

"Has it?" she spoke, a bit softer this time.

Robin frowned and when he turned to look at her, he found her slowly turning to her other side, her back to him, and continue to sleep peacefully. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Are you _ever_ gonna wake up?"

"Do I have to…" her voice came much deeper this time, another indication that she was, yet again, drifting off to sleep.

"It's my bed that you're currently occupying." He joked before once again turning back to his wardrobe and trying to find something to wear for the day.

"It's a big bed, who said I had to _occupy_ it all by myself?"

Upon hearing her words coated with sleep, he stopped dead in his tracks and frowned before turning towards her once more. He swallowed and stared at her only to face her backside. Was she even aware of what she had just said?

"Should I take that as an invitation?"

"You should have done that last night."

_Woah._

"Wow, you're way too honest when you're sleepy." He spoke and tried to ignore the stuttering in his voice.

There was a brief silence that Robin spent with staring at her sleeping form on his bed. Her words had rendered him speechless and his feet were now glued to the ground.

Even though she had never given him a decent answer other than a brief 'We'll see', he was almost entirely sure that whatever this was between them, they had to be taking it slow. The last thing he had in mind was to scare her off but as he stood there, contemplating on the next course of action, he heard her speak.

"Are you gonna keep on standing there or do I have to lift the covers for you to take a simple hint?"

And at that exact moment, Robin could swear that his heart skipped a beat in his chest. His mouth went dry as he took one involuntarily step forward.

Was he really doing this?

Another step.

But before he could think on it any longer, he lowered himself on the edge of the bed and with one last look at her –making sure that she wasn't objecting to any of his actions-, he got under the covers.

It didn't take long before the warmth enveloped him and he found himself inches away from her in the bed all the while holding his breath, making sure that she was indeed aware of what she was agreeing to. When he put the covers on himself and turned towards her, he took in a deep breath. Her dark brown hair was sprawled all over his white pillow and her petite frame was still buried under the blanket. When he stayed still, unsure of whether to move towards her or not, she spoke.

"I'm not usually a cuddler." Her voice sounded like it came from under a pile of pillows.

"This is not a usual case." And with the memories of holding her in his arms in the tent they had shared months ago, he reached out to her and pulled her to his broad chest.

He heard her gasp as they made contact and sigh when his arms finally came around her waist. His hand found her stomach and her fingers found his hand on her belly only to lace their fingers together in a peaceful unison. Her brown locks –spread carelessly on his sheets just seconds ago- were now right under his nose as he breathed her in and enjoyed the feeling of their bodies pressed tightly together. After a beat, he spoke.

"How does this feel?" he hummed against her neck.

She sighed and her thumb rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand. "Safe."

"Then don't leave." The words left his mouth before he was able to stop them.

Her hold on his hand tightened and he silently cursed himself for wanting her to stay. He partially expected her to lash out but instead she asked in a soft voice.

"Is the storm over yet?"

He lifted his head to gaze at the window and watched her do the same, her eyes now fully open as she shook away the fatigue.

"Almost." He replied before falling back on the bed as she followed right suit, this time on her back facing the ceiling.

Sighing, she turned her head to him, their hands still clasped together and resting on her stomach. When his eyes met hers, he found himself liking this new sight of her; first thing in the morning, sans make up. It was intimate and a new step for them.

"Then I have to leave." Though her actions contradicted her words and she made no attempt whatsoever to move.

He had no idea how many minutes they spent laying there like that, just enjoying each other's company in the early hours of the morning but Robin was slowly feeling himself drifting off to a peaceful sleep when he was awaken by the woman lying next to him. She sighed in what seemed to be discomfort –probably having caused by the fact that she knew she had to leave his bed sooner or later.

Not bothering to open his eyes, he felt her sit up and try to reach over to his bedside table. When she couldn't, she shamelessly put one leg over his body before grabbing the little alarm clock resting peacefully on the table all the while eliciting a groan from him.

"You're heavy…" he murmured, secretly liking the position they were in though he could feel her slowly lying back next to him with the alarm clock in hand.

"Now who's the one who has to get up?" she mocked him before adding. "Look at the time, I have to go."

"That clock never works." He groaned and turned towards her in bed once more before dropping one heavy arm over her body. She squealed and her fingers immediately found his hand. He didn't know if it was affection or reflex at that point.

"Thank you for opening your home to me," she spoke after a beat. "You didn't have to come and find me down that road and you-"

"Regina," he interrupted her, opening his eyes in the process. "It's no problem, anyone would have done the same."

"No, they wouldn't." She replied sharply. "Yet, you did."

Silence filled the air and the minute Robin sensed the tension oozing from Regina, he frowned and changed the subject.

"Sure, they would." He shrugged. "After you show them that photo of you in a bikini…"

The second those words left his mouth, he heard her close her eyes and groan. "Oh God, not this again…"

"Oh, is that a blush I see, Miss Mills?"

"You know what? This is why I don't add coworkers or students on social media."

"Why? Because we get to see you in a bikini?" he couldn't help but to chuckle. The redness in her cheeks only deepened and she bit back a smile.

"No, because you're being an ass!" with that she grabbed the pillow from her back and before Robin knew what was going on, he felt the soft object hit his face in such force that he yelped in surprise.

"Ow!" he instantly raised his elbows in front of him in order to guard himself from the next attack but this time, pillow hit him on the chest and he groaned in fake pain. "This is an unfair treatment against your employees!"

"Then the said employee should have behaved better!" she replied before hitting him again with the pillow in her hands.

"Behave, huh? Didn't know you were such a dominant in bed." He observed which earned him another hit on the head.

But before she had a chance to grant him with another hit, he, much to his own surprise, found himself grabbing her wrists. As she let out little squeaks of protests which he chose to ignore, he pried the pillow off her hands before throwing it aside and forcing her to lie down on her back on bed.

"No, wait!" she yelled, not having been expecting the sudden maneuver.

"Say the magic word!" he said and though he was careful not to climb on top of her, he was still closer to her than what was necessary and the sight of her beneath him, writhing to free herself from his grasp as he pinned her wrists down on the mattress above her head, did things to him he couldn't quite understand. He tried not to focus too much on it but she gasped under his touch and he did not know how much longer he could hold her down like that before he did something both of them would regret later.

"Robin!" she let out.

"That's not the magic word!" he replied instead with an amused expression.

"I sign your paychecks."

Upon hearing her words, he immediately released the pressure on her wrists. "Now, that's a magic sentence alright."

His surrender had her laughing with glee as she sat up on the bed next to him.

"Next time, consider you options before you attack me."

"You started it." He shrugged, putting the pillow back to where it belonged.

"And I've also ended it." She replied with glee. "Perks of being a boss."

And before he had a chance to say anything, she rose to her knees on the bed, spread one bare leg on the other side of him and after a brief straddle which rendered Robin speechless, she managed to get to the other side of the bed before standing up and leaving the room.

#

The playful feeling that had been surrounding the air just a couple of hours ago was long gone now that Regina was back in the clothes she had worn two days ago when he had rescued her from the snow storm. The fabric was already washed and dried –courtesy of Robin, and she had spent no time putting them on after a brief breakfast they had. And now, they were standing right in front of the doorway where Robin watched her gather her bags and coat as he leaned his back against the wall with a soft smile.

The fact that she was moving a lot slower than she normally would had him raise his eyebrows in amusement as he watched her stall for a few more minutes before finally coming to stand in front of him. The minute she dropped her bag on the ground in an attempt to put her winter coat on which served as nothing against the cold weather, Robin leaped forward in one swift move before letting his fingers touch the fabric.

"Let me." He heard himself say and was surprised when she loosened her grip on the coat and let him slip it on her.

He helped her to her coat ever so gently and let his hands linger a few more moments on her shoulders before finally letting her go. Both of them ignored the slight whiff of melancholia hanging in the dry air between them.

"Thanks." She murmured slowly before turning to him with a gentle smile.

He nodded and watched her reach for her bag on the ground. When she stood up, the ghost of a smile was beginning to fade away from her lips, sans the dark red lipstick he was used to see her every day with.

"Are you gonna walk back to your car?" he asked after a beat, letting himself lean against the wall once more.

"Yeah, then I'm gonna try calling a tow truck. If I can't, I'll just find a bus and go home." She sighed, looking down on the floor.

"You sure you don't want me to-"

"I am." She interrupted him, lifting her head to look back up to his eyes. "You've gone through enough trouble already; I can take care of the rest."

And the tone of her voice indicated that the discussion was final and if he were to insist, he was getting a demotion, if not a forced resignation. He nodded quietly with a smirk, knowing how stubborn she could be when it came to having her way.

He, after all, had to accept that she was not the kind of woman who'd let another man take the reins of her personal life after having a brief sleepover at his house. No, her walls were not that easy to penetrate and the last thing Robin wanted was to scare her away.

"Alright then." He replied.

Neither of them moved.

After another minute, which felt like an hour, Regina spoke again. "Thank you for this weekend."

"Anytime." He shrugged.

"Let's hope there won't be any more times." She let out a soft smile and Robin felt the air darken between them. Why did this feel like goodbye when he knew he was seeing her at school on Monday? Was it because something in him knew that the moment they leave the confines of his house, they would pretend like everything that had been said here was null? Would she come to her senses once she was at her own place? Would she forget him?

He quickly shook off the thought. No matter all the negative feelings which were now busy rushing into his heart with maximum speed, her small smile and the way she shifted from one high heeled clad foot to another, told a whole another story. From that angle, she was no different than one of his teenage students with an innocent crush on the boy right across the class.

"I can't promise that, you see, I watch the weather channel and things are _not_ looking good." He chuckled and was relieved to see her mirror his actions. After this weekend, the sound that left her lips sounded like a melody to him.

Immediately after, he internally slapped himself for turning into a romantic poet from the 19th century.

"Well, next time my car breaks down in the middle of a freeway; you'll be the first person I'll call."

"Is that a new step in our relationship?" he asked in a playful tone.

"Fix my engine and it just might be." She bit down her lower lip and his eyes were immediately drawn to the small gesture.

"I love it when you talk dirty."

"This weekend has made me realize just how much you love it." She replied and the memory of her straddling him on the armchair when they were both high reawakened itself in his mind. Her giggles from that night were ringing in his ears and when he looked up, it was evident from the blush on her cheeks that she might have been thinking the same thing.

When their eyes met, she took in a sharp breath.

"I can't wait to show you what else I love." And he was just about to complete his sentence with a simple 'about you' but he realized he already had her blushing and that bit would be way too forward for their newly found relationship which he didn't know the boundaries of yet so he decided to keep his mouth shut and enjoy the reaction he was getting out of her.

"I think it's time for me to leave." She said softly and he found himself nodding. The melancholia was already long dissolved and now it had left itself to pure and unaltered hope; hope of seeing her again and making promises to her that he vowed himself to keep.

"Right." He smirked and lifted himself off the wall to escort her to the door. "Thanks again for accepting my offer to stay here. The weekend would have been hell of a lot more boring if you weren't here." And it was true.

"Thank you for having me." She flashed him a rare smile.

He nodded and as he put his hand on the doorknob to open the door for her and finally get back to his plans to finish doing the laundry after a brief cleanup of his currently very messy living room, he heard something very familiar. But before he could understand what was going on, his hand was already pulling the door open and once the cold air hit them, Robin came to realize that they were no longer alone.

No, instead there was a couple standing just a few feet away from them, with their mouth hanging open as the lady had her hand on the doorbell, about to ring them in.

There was a brief pause spent with everyone staring at each other in confusion before Robin spoke... No, more like yelled.

"MOM?"

"ROBBIE DEAR!"

Before Robin had a chance to let out a few words, let alone understand what the heck was going on, the woman threw himself on him with tight hug followed by the man at her side who was definitely not shy to take in a few steps and hug them both to his chest.

"Dad?!" Robin managed to let out though his voice came out all muffled since his mouth was now buried deep somewhere in his mother's lavender scented dress.

This was _not_ happening.

"If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammed must go to the mountain." His dad yelled all the while enveloping his family in his big, muscular arms.

As Robin tried to break himself free from the warm and yet suffocating hug from his parents, he tried to make sense of it all yet he couldn't. So he thought the following question was an appropriate one.

"What are you two doing here?" he tried to breathe but a lavender perfume filled his lungs instead. It was the familiar scent of his childhood but he was way too confused to even enjoy it.

"Well, since you weren't responding to any of our e-mails, we thought it was time we visited." His mother spoke.

"Ye know, it's bloody rude when you ignore your folks!" his dad chimed in.

When Eleanor let go of his son, Robin opened his mouth; about to lecture them on how they should have at least called before hopping on a plane and coming straight to his place without even letting him know but the minute his blue eyes met the warm, chocolate brown ones of his mother, his breath got caught in his throat and the words flew out of his mind. He didn't know if it was because of habit or understanding, but he instantly found himself softening and instead of confronting his now enthusiastic parents, he let out the following words instead.

"W-Welcome."

After another short but tight hug, Eleanor let him go with a warm smile and only when she moved out of the way that Robin realized they were very much not alone, no, instead he was now facing with a very shocked and yet very amused Regina who was standing right across from him, trying oh so very hard to stifle a giggle.

"And who's this lovely young lady?" the older woman turned suddenly, when she realized she was no longer the center of his son's attention.

Upon hearing her address her, Regina froze and her amused expression immediately got replaced by a very shocked one.

"It's none of our business, let the boy spend his time with whoever he desires!" his father tried to barge into the conversation all the while carrying their suitcases inside the house. The sight made Robin cringe. How long were they going to even stay there?

"Shut your pie hole, Howard!" Eleanor warned her husband who knew to listen to his wife whenever she used that tone with him. Instead he shrugged and carried on with his task.

"Mom," Robin interrupted, immediately getting between the two ladies. He threw Regina one look before turning to his mother. "This is Regina Mills, she is my-"

"Oh that bloody Mills woman, you are!" Eleanor exclaimed. "Ye hear that, Howard? Our son is now dating his boss!"

"What!" Robin yelled, at the same time Regina instinctively spoke, "Oh, I am not-"

"I knew it! I told you it wasn't long before Robbie found himself an American lass!" Howard yelled from outside the door with his thick accent as Eleanor rolled her eyes at him.

"I know I know, I just thought we would have a little bit more time with him before he married himself off to this wretched country." She replied before enveloping his son in another suffocating hug.

"Mom, wait," Robin tried to speak but his mom had already let go and she was now heading to the living room, not even once hesitating to make herself at home.

"Oh my Goodness, why are all the curtains closed? You should open them up, let some of that beautiful spring air in!" and she went to the curtains all the while Regina turned to him with a frown as she mouthed the following words to him 'Spring?'. Oh yes, the poor woman knew nothing about the weather in Britain…

Robin took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. This wasn't happening, this was simply _not_ happening. There was no way his parents had just marched into his house without an e-mail or a phone call, anything! There was no way in hell they had just met Regina whom he was being most delicate with just in the hopes of starting something with her. A part of him was glad that his parents were there but a part of him knew that they were about to ruin everything… He closed his eyes and prayed.

When his father stumbled a bit with a big red suitcase in his hands, Robin was snapped back to reality and immediately went to his father who shushed him and told him he could handle it by himself and that he might look old but he was still as strong as a goat. When he walked inside with the last piece of luggage and went to join his mother in the living room, Robin took one step close to Regina.

"Regina, I am soo sorry…" he started but the words died in his throat when he witnessed the expression on her face. The amused smirk was back on her lips and she had two fingers on her mouth, desperately trying to stifle a giggle. Her eyebrows were raised and she was practically red from blushing and there was a slight tremble in her body that Robin knew if she were to take her fingers away from her lips, she would burst into a fit of giggles that no one would be able to stop. Robin frowned at the sight before him.

"Regina?"

"No, I'm sorry." She spoke in a high pitched voice he was pretty sure he had never heard before. "I did not want to meet your parents like this but-"

"I did not want you to meet them like this either." He sighed.

"But the whole thing is just…" she took in a deep breath in order to calm herself down. "The whole thing is downright ridiculous, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you're not the first to say that." He nodded. "My parents have always been a bit… straightforward, let's say."

And his last words had Regina laughing again only this time it was interrupted by the strong tone of his mother.

"Holy mother of Pearl, what have you done in this room?! It smells like Uncle Erwin's garden!"

Immediately, memories of him and Regina smoking weed in the room just a couple of nights before came flooding back to his mind and he immediately widened his eyes before turning to look at Regina who had the same expression on her face.

"Brings back good ol' memories." Howard replied with a wink which Eleanor chose to ignore.

Robin knew he had to think on his feet and in that moment he thanked God that his mind worked similar to Regina's cause after one brief glance, she quickly made her way to the living room before advancing for the ashtray all the while Robin stepped towards his parents. As Regina swiftly gathered up the evidence of the night before, he had them turn to him –thus their back to Regina.

"Look," he started. "Mom, Dad…"

"Son." Howard replied.

"Let the boy finish!" His mother barged in and his father sighed in return.

"Regina is not actually my- "

"Oh, I apologize for what I've said earlier!" Eleanor ironically interrupted him. "I am actually thrilled that you finally have a girlfriend!"

"And that yer serious with her!" Howard added.

At the back, Regina, in shock, dropped the candles with a loud noise but she quickly covered the noise up with a fake cough.

"I'm what?!" Robin let out.

"Of course, why else would she be here on a Sunday morning?"

There was a brief silence where Robin sort of evaded his parents' gaze and Howard let out a proud chuckle. When the subject became clear, Eleanor's mouth dropped open.

"Robin William Locksley! You tell me you did not have that poor woman over for… commiting unspoken acts or so help me God, I will tear you from limb to limb! You know what the church says about adultery!"

"No, no, no! No! It's not like that!" his hands immediately shot up in front of him in a defensive state. "We didn't- Not really.. You know-"

"Oh thank Goodness…" Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. "I raised my boy better than that." With that she turned on her heel to walk back to the living room which was now devoid of any evidence of weed, thanks to Regina who was just emerging back from the kitchen. Now that she had completed her task, she had the demeanor of someone who felt out of place. Robin watched her take a step back and clasp her hands in front of her.

"Ginnie, dear," Eleanor now made her way to Regina who raised her eyebrows in surprise. Robin was pretty sure that this was the first time someone actually called her that. He couldn't help but to let out a soft smile which was quickly silenced by Regina's harsh glare.

"Actually, its…" she started but did not have the time to correct her as the older woman now approached her with an excited expression.

"I'm so sorry for what I've said earlier, it's because Howard was distracting me."

"How is this my fault?" the old man yelled from where he stood.

"Anyways," she ignored him. "Welcome to the family!" with that Eleanor gave the same hug to Regina, she had given to Robin just minutes ago.

Robin watched, horrified, as his mother took his boss in his arms in a tight hug and Regina let out a little squeal. Her eyes immediately met his and the only thing he could offer her was a shrug accompanied by an apologetic expression. With a frown, Regina forcefully wrapped her arms around the old woman's frame in a hesitant state and Robin watched as the two women embraced.

"How about some breakfast?" Howard yelled once Eleanor let go of the younger woman.

"I…" Regina started. "I can't, I have somewhere to be." She was stuttering and her voice had a slight tremble in it and Robin found himself cringing at the whole thing. When did a small rescue party turn into his boss meeting his parents?

"Oh, Howard, let the poor girl go. Clearly, she is very busy." Eleanor scoffed. "But," she then turned to her. "You _must_ come to dinner tomorrow night, I insist!"

"Oh, I shouldn't-" Regina started but she had no chance to argue.

"I don't want to hear any excuses. I will be cooking!"

"I wouldn't say no to that." Howard spoke.

"Okay, alright!" Robin finally found the courage to interrupt them. "Regina has to go now, she got things to do."

And in that moment, from the way she looked at him, Robin could tell she was grateful for the rescue.

Minutes later they were back by the door, this time Regina really leaving however now, the scene was entirely different. This time, there was awkwardness in the air and Regina had a mortified expression on her face that Robin did not know how to erase but most importantly, he knew he was the cause of it. With a sigh, he started.

"Look Regina, I am so sorry. I had no idea." And it was the truth. If he had known what was going to happen, he would have gone out in the snowstorm and wouldn't rest until he had gotten her home safely.

"That's okay." She replied, looking at anywhere but his eyes.

"Listen," he started. "You don't have to come to dinner tomorrow. I'll talk to them and I'll tell them it is nothing more than a misunderstanding."

"Your mother will kill you." Because yes, in a short period of time she had known her, Robin came to realize Regina had understood Eleanor.

"It's better to die in her hands than yours." He tried his chance at a joke, to lighten up the air but Regina was having none of it. Instead, she sank her teeth on her bottom lip before shaking her head.

"No, don't do that." She replied.

"I can't let her…" he paused, trying to think of the right words to say. He couldn't find them. "I can't let her think what she's thinking right now… about us."

There was another pause spent with Robin searching Regina's eyes for something, anything to let him know what she was thinking. But all he could get from her was impatience and a slight fear which, he knew, was not a good sign at all.

"I'll think about it." She spoke after a beat.

"About what? I can't possibly-"

"I said I'll think about it." She interrupted him. "Now, shut up before I change my mind."

"Are you serious?" he managed to ask as he watched her put a hand on the doorknob.

"We'll talk tomorrow." She threw the living room one last lingering look and before he knew it, she was out the door, leaving him alone in the threshold.

Even after the door was shut on his face, Robin spent a couple of minutes gazing at the hard wood with a stupefied expression before Eleanor finally called his son over and he snapped out of his trance only to find his mother in the kitchen, preparing for tomorrow's dinner from today.


	15. Chapter 15

With her petite frame and pleasant smile, Eleanor Locksley was a very humble British lady who had married young to a lad from her town and had two lovely boys. After her husband, Howard, had decided to move the family to America, even for a brief period of time, she was sad to realize that they would board the plane with four people but come back with only three; her eldest, Robin, had decided to settle down in that crazy country. Why would he choose to live there she did not know, but the deep in her heart, she was aware that she and her husband missed him deeply -especially when he forgot to respond to their e-mails.

Eleanor had constant air of fatigue behind her eyes which came from raising two kids by herself, since her husband had been mostly away at work, only to come home at night with toys for his kids and flowers for her, demanding only of food and bed. She understood him of course; someone had to provide for the family, and so she never once complained as she cooked dinner for her three men and watched as they come home every night to eagerly swallow it all up with the enthusiasm of a giant who had been starving for months. That was how it was living with the three of them, and every night when Eleanor went to bed, next to her husband whose snores could already be heard from the other end of the town, she would have a worn out and yet content smile on her lips and she would drift off to sleep as a happy woman.

Monday morning at her son's house -after having insisted that she and her husband would sleep just fine on the sofa bed despite how many times Robin asked them to use his own bedroom- Eleanor had woken up early. Not bothering to wake Harold up, she got dressed and quickly headed over to her son's God forsaken kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards in a futile attempt to locate something edible for dinner. Unfortunately, Robin was the kind of person who did not take care of his own house –as he lived off on take out- so the only thing she could end up finding was some spaghetti and cheese.

That was just not going to do. It was time for Howard to wake up and arrange a little trip to Kmart. God forbid, that Target they had here was expensive.

As she opened the fridge before letting out another deep sigh, she heard her son finally enter the kitchen with a yawn. When she looked up, she found him standing right in front of her still half asleep but already dressed for work.

"Morning…" he said before reaching out for coffee.

"Good God Robbie, that shirt with that tie? No wonder I haven't had a daughter-in-law for years…" she walked up to him, putting a hand on the black button down while eyeing a bright pink tie.

"Not now, Ma…" he mumbled sleepily, obviously too tired to even notice what he was wearing as long as it was appropriate for the teacher dress code.

"At least make sure to change when you come back home tonight, we wouldn't want your girlfriend to see you like this now, would we?"

"My girlfriend is my boss, she will see me at school anyway-" though he paused when he finally realized who they were talking about, suddenly not so sleepy anymore. He opened his eyes in confusion before shaking his head and snapping his mind back to reality.

"I know, I know, but I just want to try and make her feel welcome here…" his mother kept going, unaware of the serious expression Robin now had on his face.

"Mom, listen," he started, interrupting her. When the kettle let out a sound indicating that the water was ready, he reached for a mug. "I don't think Regina is going to make it to this dinner of yours."

"Oh that's nonsense dear, I am sure that-"

"Mom, like I tried to explain to you a million times last night," he sighed, pouring his coffee into the mug that said 'No #1 Teacher' on it. "Me and her… it's not like that."

"How is it then Robbie? Do you expect me to believe that the woman I found at your place on a blessed Sunday morning is not affiliated with you?" Then mid-sentence, she gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. "Is she married? Robin William Locksley, are you seeing a married woman?"

"No!" Robin yelled, almost dropping his mug. "It's nothing like that!"

"Good then, I expect both of you here no later than 6!" she spoke in the tone she used for Robin when he used to hide chocolate in his room –so, like a child, he found himself instinctively nodding. "And have breakfast on your way out, I don't want you to go to work all hungry!"

Taking a sip from his coffee, he nodded with a weak "Yes, mother", before finally leaving the kitchen.

#

Robin didn't quite know where his feet were taking him. No, he knew _where_ they were taking him, he just didn't know _why._

Especially _why_ now?

He had plenty of time to talk to Regina; they were only at second period and they had the whole day to brood over the matter as much as they liked. However, the impatience that was beginning to form deep in his stomach was growing a lot stronger by each passing second and he knew he had to talk to her. Even though part of him knew her answer, the other part was reminding him of her parting words just over 24 hours ago, and with hope boiling inside of him; he took a deep breath and turned right from the hallway, surrendering to his feet.

It didn't take long for him to reach the hallway he knew she taught in. He also knew that she was busy for that specific period –not that he had memorized her schedule or anything, but that did not stop him from locating her classroom and before he knew it, his knuckles were on the door. Without waiting for a reply, he went in.

"We need to talk." The words had left his mouth before he even entered the classroom and so when he did, facing the woman in front of him who now raised her eyebrows in question, he also managed to render the whole class speechless.

Yes, maybe his actions came off as a bit sudden and straight forward and the little voice inside of him told him to leave now and wait till she was done. Of course, he did not listen. He owed his lack of judgment to the lack of breakfast.

_Yes, blame your embarrassment on food, Robin… Great._

"Robin?" was the only thing Regina said with a frown. She was standing right in front of the board with a marker in hand, indicating that she was writing down some formula before she was interrupted mid-sentence.

" _Robin?_ " Killian echoed her words from the front row, making sure she said it correct. Since when did their principal call their English teacher by his first name?

"I mean uhm… Mr. Locksley? Are you okay?" Regina shook her head.

"I'm fine." He replied, though his attention was now somewhere else. "What are you doing in this class?" he turned to Killian.

"I had a free period; Miss Mills saw me and decided to take me in." He grumbled from his seat. Obviously he did not like being in a class he absolutely loathed.

"He got kicked out of his own class." Regina corrected him with a roll of her eyes. However, before neither of the men had a chance to respond, Robin watched as she walked over to her desk and put her papers down along with the marker in her hand. Then, much to his surprise, she proceeded to make her way to him.

"I want absolute silence." She warned her class before walking out the door and he followed suit, closing the door behind them.

"What's all this about?" she asked once they were outside, throwing his choice of tie a brief, irritated look.

He followed her gaze but did not pay much attention to it. After all, it wasn't the first time she had judged one of his outfits. "Look, about tonight…"

"Oh so this is about this dinner, huh?" she rolled her eyes, a slight smile forming on her lips. "It made you come all the way to my class in the middle of a period. Tell me, did it keep you up at night too?" she mocked.

"Sure, this is funny to you, you don't know my mother." He put his hands on his hips. "You don't know what she can do."

"Of course, let me get a bottle of wine and drop by your house before she calls over the European Parliament."

"You think you're joking but her father's cousin is actually nominated for the-"

"Robin." She interrupted him.

He stopped talking and pretended not to notice how hot it was getting. Or was it just him? Was he sweating?

"You're really stressed out over this." She observed after a beat.

"Of course I am." He sighed. "I know I can't force you to come to this dinner, let alone have her think… whatever the hell she thinks when it comes to us, but…"

"But, you don't wanna disappoint her either." Regina completed his sentence.

"Right."

And at that moment, when he lifted his eyes from the ground to actually look at her face, -something he hadn't done since he had actually walked into her class- he sensed a certain kind of empathy radiating off of her. When their eyes met, her chocolate brown ones were filled with understanding, which caught him off guard.

"I've already disappointed her enough." Now, the last thing Robin wanted was to guilt trip her into this but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. He guessed it to be because it was the truth, and when he was all alone with Regina in the middle of an empty hallway, and when she threw him _that_ look, it made it impossible not to give her the truth like the rest of her students whom she caught breaking the rules.

He could tell she was about to ask for the details of his last confession but she shook her head and changed her mind halfway.

"Look," she started, and he watched her as she frowned and paused for a moment before opening her mouth once more to speak. "I accept."

"What?" he asked because that was not something he was expecting from her. He sucked in a deep breath.

"The dinner, you idiot." She rolled her eyes. "I accept to come to this dinner and be whoever you want, or your parents want me to be for one night."

"You… Seriously?"

"For one night." She articulated her last sentence. "Then I'm back to being your boss."

"Regina, you…" he stuttered, the English language ironically leaving his mind for a second. He was at a loss of words and it had her slightly grinning.

"I'll be there no later than 6 pm." She declared (like his mother had specifically asked), before turning on her heel and placing a hand on the doorknob. Before she had a chance to get back to her class, he heard himself speak.

"Why?" his eyes were still wide and he did not know what to say to the woman in front of him who may have just saved his life.

"Because after this weekend, I know you would have done the same for me." She shrugged before finally turning the doorknob and disappearing behind the door.

#

Robin was quick to lose the pink tie.

The minute he got home, -and he had made sure to come home early that day- he had rushed into his room despite his mother's protests to taste her newly made sauce. No, his mother could wait; he had more important business to attend to.

He had to find something decent to wear.

He also knew Regina would be going home to change first before making her way to his place so he had approximately an hour before she was there. After a super quick shower and rummaging through his wardrobe, contemplating on exactly how formal this dinner was going to be, he decided to go for a casual look.

Minutes later, he was standing in front of his full length mirror with his best pair of jeans and a white shirt he was now tucking in. Matching it with a brown belt, he gave himself one final look.

Robin did not consider himself the most handsome looking guy on the planet, but standing there, in front of his mirror, as he brushed his dark blonde hair back, he decided he did not look that bad. He threw the mirror a dimpled smile. Then he unbuttoned the top button of his white shirt. Seconds later he buttoned it back up with a frown, no, he did not have to look _that_ casual.

"Robbie!" came his mother's voice from the hallway as he was reaching for his favorite cologne.

"In here!" he yelled back. Then he turned around to find his bed completely unmade. The sight made him internally cringe and he immediately grabbed the covers. Not that Regina was going to see the inside of his bedroom, but he found himself making his bed anyway.

"The turkey is almost done and… oh it smells wonderful in here!" Eleanor noted the second she walked into his son's bedroom, referring to the cologne Robin had recently applied.

"Well, it cost me a bunch so it better smell nice." Robin chuckled as he arranged the pillows.

"Well…" she laughed, watching his son move around the room in a hurry. "Someone's nervous."

"Oh, me? No!" he scoffed but even he didn't believe his own words. "Just, you know, making sure not to embarrass our family."

"Oh Robbie dear," his mother spoke, coming to stand up right in front of him. Robin exhaled and she sighed in amusement. "It'll be just fine. She is absolutely smitten with you."

Eleanor smiled before raising her hands to unbutton the top button of his shirt.

"She is? How can you tell?" Robin asked, suddenly feeling a bit out of breath. Maybe he wasn't ready to go through with this dinner. Maybe they should have been cancelling. What the hell was he doing?

"I've seen the way she looks at you."

"Is it an annoyed look?"

"Oh Robbie, always the joker…" she giggled, putting a gentle hand on her son's chest. After a beat, she shook her head and attempted to leave the room but Robin stopped her by laying a hand on her arm.

"Mom, seriously..." He spoke. "How _does_ she look at me?"

There was a brief moment where Eleanor let out knowing smile before she parted her lips to speak.

"She looks at you like-"

The loud noise of the doorbell interrupted her.

"Oh, that better be her!" Eleanor exclaimed and before Robin had a chance to stop her, she left the room while Howard's cries of 'Someone open the door!' echoed in the background.

"Mom!" Robin yelled after her with a sigh. Then frowning, he checked his watch. "She's half an hour early…"

He could already hear his parents in the hallway, opening the door to let Regina in while he looked around his room in a hurry, making sure everything was in place. He mentally cursed himself that he was letting his parents do the greeting instead of manning up and facing the woman at the other end of the door himself, but he quickly shook off the thought, knowing the sooner he was there the better.

And he desperately, oh so desperately tried to avoid the butterflies in the pit of his stomach. It became even worse when he stepped outside the room, and he silently scolded himself for being overly emotional for no apparent reason.

It was one dinner and that was it. Regina would sit by his side, quietly eat her turkey while nodding at everything his parents would say and an hour later she was going to excuse herself, having fulfilled her end of the deal. His parents were going to be satisfied and he wasn't going to hear about the whole thing ever again till the day he'd drop them to the airport. Then maybe, his mother was going to ask him to say hi to Regina for her and his dad was probably going to forget her existence an hour after they boarded their plane.

It was so simple.

And yet when he turned around the corner just in time to watch his mother open the door to reveal a woman in a black outfit he had trouble recognizing at first, everything became just that little bit more complicated.

Dressed in a casual black skirt (not even close to the professional ones he would see her wear to work) and a black buttoned down shirt, the woman in front of him stood wearing a half smile. His gaze slowly trailed down to the legs exposed by the mini skirt and supported by the black mid heel pumps; those long, toned legs were hers alright, however when he once again looked up, his eyes caught hers protected by the glasses he was now seeing for the first time.

He swallowed visibly. Never once before he thought he had a fetish for glasses.

"Gina, darling!" Eleanor exclaimed, while throwing herself at the younger woman with a tight hug. Seemed the nick names were not coming to an end anytime soon…

Regina, probably knowing that this was coming, got the wine and the basket in her hand out of the way in the last second so she could welcome the unexpected hug, and Howard stepped forward to get the goods from her hands.

"Oh, wine!" he eyed the bottle in his hand. "And what's this?"

"I made apple pie." Regina tried to shrug and her voice came all muffled since Eleanor still had her arms wrapped around her petite frame.

"You did?!" the older woman yelled, and Regina winced since the source of the sound was way too close to her ear. "Oh my God, that is perfect!

"It sure seems like it." Came Howard's voice from the kitchen.

"No, Howard, don't eat that before dinner!" with that Eleanor's attention quickly changed focus and she was already letting go of Regina to run to the kitchen, in a desperate attempt to stop her husband from spoiling his appetite, knowing the fact that he had a sweet tooth even she couldn't stop.

Once both of his parents were gone and they were the only ones left in the dimly lit hallway, the voices of a newly emerging fight between the old couple slowly fading into their background, Robin had another chance to trail his eyes over her entire frame, from top to bottom to top again, until his gaze finally came to a halt on her face. He cleared his throat and she licked her lips, lightening her slightly applied red lipstick.

Robin took a step closer, making sure that his parents were still busy arguing, and he spoke. "I like the glasses."

Regina took another step towards him, now eyeing him up and down just like he had done to her. Robin mentally checked his appearance to make sure nothing was out of place. She closed her eyes and inhaled slightly before opening them again with a smile.

"This is not your usual cologne."

"This is for special days."

"I like it." She commented. "Though it smells a bit like forest."

"It does?" _Was that an insult or a compliment?_

However their brief moment of intimacy was interrupted when they heard Howard's demanding voice. "I swear I will eat yer damn turkey, just let me get a taste o' that!"

"We should probably-" Regina started.

"Yeah…" Robin nodded and he made his way to the kitchen with Regina following suit.

When they entered the kitchen, Robin faced the familiar yet pleasant view of Eleanor trying to grab the basket from Howard's hands all the while she threatened him with all the horrible things she'd do to him if he didn't let go. Howard, on the other hand, insisted on getting a taste before dinner.

"Cute." Regina observed from right next to him and he watched as she kept her gaze steady on the couple. He couldn't help but think when the only thing he saw was his parents arguing like they've been doing for the past million years, she saw something fascinating in them.

"You think this is cute? Next time, bring cheesecake and see what happens."

"Eleanor, ye always do this!"

"Howard, let that go or so help me God!"

"I'll set the table." Robin blurted out all of a sudden.

"I'll help." Came Regina's weak voice and they both scurried out of the kitchen before they could get hit by a plate.

#

"So you two are awfully quiet." Eleanor spoke up all of a sudden, making Robin and Regina lift their heads up from their plates in panicked glances.

Robin's dining room was not big by any means, but it was certainly grand enough for a family of four to sit around the mahogany table that took most of the room and spend the night eating, drinking and chatting. It was illuminated by a bright light in the ceiling that gave the room a yellowish hue, and it was enough to get the guests occupying the room to feel a bit more in ease in the cozy environment that Robin had spent hours decorating. Well, the word "decorating" was a bit of an overstatement, really; the room was tasteful and elegant but yet lacked a certain feminine touch which -Eleanor had quickly covered by spreading a dark colored cloth on the table. Howard had already taken care of the wine classes and the family was already halfway through their first bottle of wine when Eleanor spoke again, breaking the silence.

"So tell me, Robbie, how did you two meet?"

Robin swallowed his bite and from the corner of his eye, saw Regina reach for her glass of wine. Was that her second glass already?

They were sitting right next to each other on one side of the table, facing his parents who were now giving them beaming smiles as Howard threw a subtle look at Regina, like he was proud of the girl his son had picked up.

"I told you mom, she is my boss." He replied, not wanting to drag the topic and further.

"Yes but, how did you start dating?"

This time Robin had to pause and actually turn to look at Regina who was about to put the glass down but upon hearing the question, she brought it back to her lips with a nervous sigh.

"Well," he started and begged his mind to work a bit faster. It betrayed him horribly. "You see, mom…"

"He asked me out first." Regina blurted out from right next to him, which caught him off guard. "We went out for coffee."

"Oh how absolutely romantic, you heard that Howard?"

"Yes, I've heard it. I'm right here." Her husband shook his head.

"Doesn't it sound exactly like _our_ first date? Then what happened?" she persisted, putting her cutlery down so she could put one elbow on the table and support her chin with her hand.

"I asked her out again?" Robin shrugged and the whole thing came off as a question, as if he wanted to check with Regina first to see if she was okay with the direction their fake story was going. When he turned to confirm it with her, she shrugged and took another sip, the food on her plate already abandoned. Well, as far as Robin was concerned, she wasn't that big on food anyway, it was always bits and pieces for her.

"And how long have you two been dating?"

"4 months."

"7 months."

They replied at the same time then turned to look at each other. Robin's face reeked of sheer panic whereas the alcohol was already beginning to show its effects on Regina so she just sighed and took another sip. He couldn't help but think, he was the one in control. And it was sort of true since she had done more than enough by showing up.

"It's uhm…" he fumbled with his words, trying to cover up. "We've known each other for 7 months but we've been.. uhm.. dating for 4 months." Robin replied instead, trying to ignore the confused look Eleanor had thrown at them both.

"Oh that's understandable." Eleanor nodded, picking up her fork. "When me and Howard were dating that long, he had already asked me to live with him. Are you two considering that?"

The table went silent. It wasn't because they didn't want to talk, no, it was partially because Robin was staring at his mother, utterly horrified while Regina was busy taking a long sip from her wine.

When none of them spoke and Eleanor raised her eyebrows in question, Regina finally put the glass down and leaned forward.

"This turkey is great, you have to give me the recipe sometime."

"Oh you liked it? I'm so glad, though you have hardly touched it!" Eleanor exclaimed in delight, her smile already reaching up to her eyes.

"Regina's not a big fan of eating." Robin replied to the question directed for her without lifting his gaze up from his plate. He wasn't even aware of it until she turned to him with a frown.

"How do you know?"

"Well, I've never actually seen you have a full on meal. It's always bits and pieces between classes and a cup of tea as a makeshift dinner." He shrugged, now finally turning to look at her.

"That's not true… I eat."

"Diet biscuits don't count, darlin'." The pet name slipped from his lips in such a natural way that neither of them noticed it.

"Of course they do!" she countered and Robin slowly began to realize that Regina was getting a bit tipsy. He knew he should have been terrified and even entertaining the possibility of her outing them to his parents but instead he found himself smiling a little. "It's food, isn't it?"

"It's not."

"It is so."

"Have ye two already gotten married without tellin' us? Cause I know a married couple fight when I see one." Howard, interrupted them with a laugh, without even realizing that he was the only one laughing at his own joke.

His wife, however, was not entertained.

"Robbie, dear," she started, leaning over the table to give both of them a serious look. "Have you two been fighting a lot? Do you need to see a couple's counselor?"

"Alright, that's it." Robin suddenly stood up, startling Regina in the process. He grabbed his plate, along with Regina's -since he knew she had no intention of finishing her food, before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Eleanor shocked.

All his previous tension that had built up inside of him and taken root was now beginning to show its true colors and he felt himself tremble with anger mixed with fear as he put the plates down in the sink with a loud clatter. Supporting his weight with his hands on the kitchen counter, he sighed and closed his eyes.

How could he think that there was even a mild chance of them pulling this off? It was impossible. They were _not_ dating and trying to make it seem like they were just to sell a stupid act to his parents had been a horrible idea from the start. And for what? Not to upset them? Well, wasn't this upsetting enough already?

Lifting one hand from the counter and rubbing his face in exhaustion, he went through all the options in his head. He could tell his parents the truth and risk getting maimed by his mother. He could not tell them the truth and watch them wallow in sadness for the rest of the night. And what was he even gonna do with Regina? She had the courtesy of showing up and for that he admired her, but they should have known that this just wasn't going to work.

Maybe a real relationship between them wouldn't work either.

Suddenly his thought process was interrupted when he heard the low but distinct sound of heels in the kitchen, and when he looked up, he saw Regina already abandoning the dinner table to make her way over to him, with a wine glass still in hand. Her face was full of anger.

"What in God's name are you doing?!" she scolded him in a shouting whisper, in order not to make his parents any more suspicious. "Leaving me alone with them like that just after we gave your mom the impression that we hate each other?"

"It's only the right impression."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she blinked hard a couple of times, indicating that she was already tipsy enough and that having to deal with the situation in hand was troubling for her.

"The idea was just… stupid." He shrugged, turning to her. "We can't sell them this lie when you and I both know that it's just not true."

"And we hate each other? Is that true also?" she set the glass down on the counter and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Regina, listen…"

"No, _Robin_ , you listen." She took off her glasses in fury before eyeing him carefully. "I did not spend two whole days locked up in this house with you just to leave this place still hating you. I also did not agree to come up here with a basket full of homemade apple pie, and to flaunt our non-existent relationship to your parents just so you could change your fragile little mind the last second and back down."

"My mind is not-"

"You were the one who told me what your mother could do if she were to figure out we were lying, so I suggest you get your ass up there and pretend to be my lovey-dovey boyfriend and not stop until your mother is thoroughly convinced that we are so disgustingly in love that she is unable to leave this house without throwing up. Am I clear?"

Robin swallowed in fear as Regina's icy glare stayed fixed on his blue eyes. Then seconds later, he found himself nodding furiously.

"Absolutely." He spoke, finally feeling parts of self-confidence returning back to him.

"Good." She replied, reaching over the wine bottle to fill her half empty glass. When the glass was full, Robin watched as she paused for a second before bringing the whole bottle to her lips and taking a long sip that had him bite back a chuckle.

Then she handed the bottle to him. "You'll need this, trust me."

He willingly took the bottle from her hand before taking a long sip himself. Regina retrieved the pair of glasses back from the counter before quietly putting them on.

"Let's just…" she cleared her throat, eyeing the glass in her hand carefully before looking up to face him. "Get this thing over with and forget that it ever happened."

"Right."

With that he threw her another look. When he was sure that she meant what she'd said, he took a deep breath before grabbing her hand and leading them both to the most ridiculous dinner party of their lives.


	16. Chapter 16

What was left of the dinner became a blur when Robin joined Regina's example of drinking.

She had been right from the start; there was no way in hell they were getting through this dinner without the help of alcohol. Their meal was over anyway, and Eleanor had refused any help with carrying the dishes back to the kitchen. But they had helped nonetheless, both of them occasionally stumbling on their feet and throwing each other stolen glances -which almost always ended with a giggle on one of their parts.

The glances had turned into soft touches, with Robin under the illusion that his mother was watching them every second – which she was. He made sure to touch her arm whenever possible, not lingering any longer than what was appropriate, and there was the occasional placement of his hand on the small of her back when guiding her into a room. She had not reacted to any of these new adjustments and so he had shrugged and kept going, earning a satisfied nod from Eleanor every now and then.

When the table was cleared and Howard had managed to steal a piece of apple pie, they all moved to the living room. Eleanor was now nursing a cup of coffee in her hand, occupying the armchair which Robin and Regina had shared just two nights ago as she kept one careful eye on Howard -who was seated in the other armchair in the room, happily eating his pie. The couch was left for Robin and Regina, who both agreed to keep their wine glasses in hand, all the while eyeing the unopened second bottle on the coffee table.

Robin had sat down on the couch first and looked up as Regina entered the room last, licking the taste of wine along with the remains of her lipstick from her lips before eyeing the spot right next to him. He threw one look at his mother before patting the seat next to him for her to sit, and to his delight; she shrugged before carefully sitting herself down with the red wine still present in her left hand.

Her thigh made contact with his and he let out a deep breath. After a beat, he leaned into her and whispered.

"You might wanna go easy on the wine there." He tightened both his hands on his own glass as he leaned forward a bit and rested both elbows on his knees, somehow subconsciously shielding her from his parents.

"Look who's talking." She replied with a giggle, inching closer to him just a little.

"I'm not the one who has to drive tonight."

Upon hearing his words, her demeanor changed to a more serious one. She raised her eyebrows and nodded before leaning back into the couch with a sigh. However, she took another ironic sip from her drink.

"What are you two prattling on about to yourselves?" Howard interrupted them in between mouthfuls of pie.

"Oh, nothing."

"So, Robbie, dear," Eleanor started, taking a careful sip from her coffee. "Your place is a bit… sloppy. I can almost _not_ tell that Gina here has been staying with you."

"Well…" Robin leaned back into the couch while throwing Regina an alarmed look. However just as he was about to come up with another lame excuse, she interrupted him.

"He usually stays over at my place." She blurted out. "It's easier."

"Really, dear? Because I just want to make sure that it's not my son's fault that you are not staying over more."

Robin frowned and turned to look at the woman next to him -who had a similar expression upon her face.

"No, why would it be his fault?"

"Well, since you are having problems in the relationship-"

"We're not having problems, Mum." Robin interrupted. "We are perfectly happy." He leaned back before putting an arm around the couch, careful not to touch Regina.

She, on the other hand, let out a pleasant smile along with a nod before scooting closer to him as if she was instinctively searching for warmth. He took a deep breath and tried to hide his nervousness.

The glass of wine in his hand was a good solution.

Under the burning gaze of his mother, he leaned back; a desperate attempt to be more comfortable around his so-called-girlfriend as he took a deep breath. As she sipped her drink quietly, Robin could see Eleanor still throwing them stolen glances filled with doubt and concern.

It was now or never. He had to find a way to make her believe.

So, reminding himself of Regina's words uttered just 15 minutes ago and how she had already agreed on this mess of a pretense, he, with the help of alcohol, dared to gently take his arm from the back of the couch only to have it land around her shoulders. Right after, he instructed himself to ignore her slightly leaning into him while bringing the glass to her lips. Besides, there was now a certain kind of dizziness that clouded his judgment to fully comprehend the nature of her closeness.

"If you say so, dear." Eleanor replied but Robin was far too hyperaware of Regina's proximity to him to even hear her.

Their thighs were touching, the alcohol was warm in his throat, and every once in a while, if he was lucky, she would throw him that sultry look over her glasses which drove him absolutely-

"So, are you thinking of any children?"

Regina coughed on her wine and Robin was snapped back to reality.

"We, whoa, what?" he managed to spit out, giving Regina time to compose herself for a bit. Luckily it didn't take long and before he knew it, he felt a possessive yet clumsy touch of hand on his upper thigh.

"Robin and I are not quite ready for that." She replied, letting out an uncharacteristic giggle which had him smiling also. Why, he had no idea. In the back of his head, there was a distant voice screaming this was not a situation to laugh at.

"Oh but you should definitely start talking about these kinds of things." Eleanor spoke from her seat. "If you decide from early on, it will be much easier to make plans for the future. Am I right, Howard?"

Howard, who had his head buried in his plate, licked his fork thoroughly before nodding, little bits of crumb falling from his mouth onto the porcelain.

"Boy, would I enjoy grandchildren! I've always wanted at least three!"

Robin closed his eyes with a cringe. The moment he did, the extreme dizziness that he had been concentrating to avoid came flooding back, and so he popped upon his eyes to blink a few times before switching his gaze back to Regina -who was staring intently into the glass in her grasp. The hand that was still on his thigh was radiating a certain kind of pleasant warmth, one which was becoming hard for him to ignore.

"Robbie, please tell us we'll see our grandchildren before we die."

Yes, he had forgotten the extent of his mother's manipulation skills. That woman lived to guilt trip her family into doing whatever she wanted them to. Hesitating, he turned to look at Regina who had downed her glass of wine and was now reaching for the unopened bottle on the coffee table. Her hand left his thigh and he exhaled in disappointment. When she leaned back down, she turned to him.

"Just… go with it." She mumbled, quiet enough for the other two to miss.

"Are you sure-" he began, but his father interrupted him.

"I can teach 'em how to ride a bike!"

"S-sure dad." He stuttered. "I think Regina would love that?" his words came out as a question.

Upon uttering them, his head instantly turned to Regina to make sure she was following along, but when he found her pleasantly smiling and opening her mouth to join the conversation with carefree laughter, it had him frowning. Not because he wasn't aware of the ramifications of wine, but because he wasn't used to seeing her laugh often. And that, for sure, was a memory he would prefer to remember instead of his father's desperate attempts to scoop up the last piece of pie from his nearly empty plate.

"Yes, in fact Robin always mentions how he'd like at least two children."

"Do I?" he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He then instantly felt her hand again on his thigh, but this time it wasn't just a gentle touch; no, she dug her nails into the fabric of his jeans before giving him a forced smile.

"I do." He corrected himself immediately, wincing a little at the sudden pain. "Of course, I do. All the time. At least twice a day, I mention it."

"He does." She let out an easy smile. "Like… all the time."

"Yep, always… Toujours."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Do you hear that, Howard?" Eleanor beamed at her husband who nodded with a cheerful smile of his own.

"What are ye going to name 'em?"

"Dad, I think Regina and I have plenty of time to discuss that. Right, darlin'?" he spoke, tightening her grip on her shoulders. She bit her lip in return and nodded approvingly.

"Absolutely, baby."

Then all of a sudden, the second those words left her mouth, she turned to him. Aware of her stare, Robin also turned to look at her, finally becoming aware of how close they actually were. However, before he had a chance to open his mouth to speak –presumably to babble on about their nonexistent kids - Regina closed her eyes and leaned into him before granting his lips with the softest of kisses that lasted no more than a second.

Robin's breath got caught in his throat, but before he had a chance to respond to the kiss, he realized she had already pulled away and now was throwing a proud look at his parents. Following her gaze, he turned to his mother and found her smiling like a Cheshire cat from where she was sitting.

He had to blink a couple of times to concentrate on what had just taken place. However, when he turned back to Regina, about to ask her if she had really done what he thought she had, the conversation topic was already moving onto her apple pie recipe that Eleanor was oh-so-very keen on getting. So instead he sat there, mesmerized by her actions and enthralled by the realization of just how far they could carry on this little game of house.

"Oh it's my secret recipe." He heard her speak from right next to him, the possessive hand only leaving his thigh momentarily just so she could carelessly run her fingers through her hair. Seconds later it was back on his limb again, however this time a couple of inches closer to his crotch. He doubted that she noticed. He certainly did. "My mother taught me."

"I hope you are making some for my little Robbie over here every once in a while." Eleanor spoke with a smile.

"Every Saturday." Now it was _his_ turn to join in on their imaginary lives. "I go over to her with a bouquet of roses. She makes us some apple pie and we fall asleep cuddled up in front of her TV. Surely, those are the nights I cherish the most." He finished with a dreamy look, and at that point, he wasn't sure if it was him or the alcohol that made him speak those words; for now the buzzing in his head was much stronger. Though he found himself not caring and when he turned to look at Regina, there was a certain kind of dreamy look in her eyes too that had leaning into her even more.

Then Regina let out a magnetizing laugh that had his heart skipping a beat in his chest. "He even…" she struggled with her words before taking another long sip from her glass. "He even reads me Wordsworth."

"Oh hey, isn't that Robbie's favorite-"

"Shut up, Howard." Eleanor replied, not tearing her gaze away from the couple.

Neither Robin nor Regina heard the small exchange between the older pair.

"I only read it to you because I know you hate it." Robin found himself grumbling. He couldn't help but allow his playful annoyance to seep into his tone, beginning to realize he liked these new reactions he was drawing out of her. He pouted like a child and turned his gaze to the wine glass in his hand.

Second later, he felt her fingers on his chin as she gently guided his face to him.

"Oh, I love it." She replied, and the smile on her pink lips was so genuine that Robin no longer even bothered to remember that this was all pretend.

"And I love you."

The words slipped his mouth and he was far too intoxicated with the combination of her addictive laugh and the alcohol still present in his hand to realize what he had just said… or rather, confessed.

"I love you too." Her voice came out an octave lower, belonging to a feminine side of her that he rarely got to witness.

And because he knew no other way, and because he was a man who was so hopelessly hooked on her like she was oxygen in a world filled with carbon dioxide, not taking his next breath would have meant dying -he leaned in, captured her lips and breathed her in.

He tried to pay attention to what he was doing, but the moment his tongue got a taste of the faint yet slightly bitter aroma of wine that taken root upon her lips, he was lost like a man who was sure he had seen the end of a labyrinth right before his capturer cut the lights out. And so he moaned into her mouth, calling out to her to guide his way when she parted her lips a bit further before placing her fingers urgently on his neck, steering him towards her. The sound she made was already drowned in between his fervent kisses.

"Oh my Goodness!"

Eleanor's voice was what made them break up their long awaited kiss. They sighed against each other's lips before turning their attention back to real life. Robin was already past the point of being drunk, thanks to the constant sips that kept him busy during the dreaded conversation and he guessed Regina would be not so far behind him. As a matter of fact, from the way she bit her lower lip and leaned her weight into his side, he was fairly certain she was way ahead of him when it came to being drunk.

"I couldn't be happier for you both!" the older woman exclaimed and Robin contemplated for a moment if those were really tears in her eyes. Before he knew it, she was getting up from her seat, her coffee long forgotten on the table.

"Ginnie, dear!" she walked over to Regina before helping her to her feet.

Robin watched her in amusement as she frowned before standing up. After a brief stumbling on her feet –at which Robin had instinctively raised his hand to just in case she were to fall back down- Eleanor was clutching her in a tight hug that had the younger woman letting out a slight groan in suffocation.

"I am so glad you are a part of our family!"

"Oh… uhm, thank you, Mrs. Locksley." Robin heard Regina's muffled voice and chuckled quietly to himself.

"Mrs. Locksley? Oh, no need for formalities now, dear. I insist you call me mother!"

When she let go of her, Regina instantly turned her head to Robin in a sense of panic. A silent understanding passed between them and he found himself nodding before taking a larger sip.

"Of course… _mother_." It was weak coming from her lips but it had Eleanor smiling nonetheless before she pulled her into another hug -which was tight enough to have the younger woman squeak slightly once more.

"This is just terrific, I am so proud of you, son!" Howard also stood up, coming to stand next to the couch Robin was currently occupying as he put a hand on his shoulder. Robin's lips curved into a satisfied and yet concerned smile before he briefly came to the realization that this was all a game. Even the glimpse of that thought was enough to give him a stomach ache, and so he shook it off before opting to watch his mother embrace Regina.

When they pulled away, the younger woman spoke.

"Right… It was uhm," Regina coughed and tried to hide her hiccups. "I uhm… Lovely evening. Yes so I should just… I think it's time for me to be leaving now." She blinked a few times, trying to find her focus.

"Leaving? Nonsense! You can't drive when you have been drinking!" Eleanor spoke hurriedly, immediately taking the wine glass she had been nursing away from her hand.

"I uhm…" Robin watched as Regina's eyes widened in realization, but of course, it did not stop her from uttering her next words. "I can manage… I should, I will."

"Hey," Robin spoke up in a gentle tone before standing up. He placed both his hands on her upper arms and watched as Eleanor took a small step back. "Mum is right, you have been drinking. I wouldn't want you to drive like this."

"But I can't stay here." She whined like a little child which would have had Robin laughing and taunting her if he was sober. Instead he simply smiled and found it to be all the more adorable. "...would be too much."

"Of course, it won't. You have stayed here before." He swallowed and when he lifted his gaze up from her face to catch a glimpse of his mother nodding, he felt the need to add. "…many _many_ times."

Instead of granting him with a decent answer, she nodded before leaning against his touch. Robin learned two things that night; Regina was physically weaker when she was intoxicated, and she had zero tolerance for alcohol.

"Right." He pulled her warm body to himself. "Mum, I'll have her sleep uhm… on the couch. I can take the-the arm chair so you and dad that can go to my bedroom and uhm-" why did wine make it hard for him to talk?

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Eleanor exclaimed so suddenly that it had Regina jerk her head up in surprise. "Me and you father can fit perfectly well on the sofa bed. It's a tight fit but we like to cuddle."

"Son, it's you who has to take yer lady to yer room, huh." Howard winked at his son which earned a sigh from his wife.

"Oh hmm…" he said and frankly he was in no condition to argue. "Hey, honey, what do you think?"

His arm was already wrapped around her waist and she was leaning heavily on him for support.

"I'll sleep wherever you will." She muttered quietly.

"That's uhm..." He ignored his hiccup in favor of marveling at Regina's willingness to comply with his wishes without question. "That's definitely a first."

After a brief goodnight to his parents and Robin mumbling something about where they could find extra sheets or pillows – which Eleanor ignored given the fact that she knew her son's house better than he did - they slowly made their way to his bedroom, with Regina stumbling towards him every few steps.

"Am I sleeping in your room again?" she whispered with a giggle, tightening her hand on his shoulder.

"And you won't be alone this time." He chuckled, steering them left at the last second to avoid crashing against a wall.

The only answer he heard from her was another bout of laughter. Though she was already leaving his embrace and entering the bedroom, leaving Robin to follow suit. A part of him -the annoying part of him that was both the teacher and her employee- was busy mumbling something about the whole situation getting out of hand, but the alcohol in his system made it easier for him to repress that irritating, little voice.

The second the door was closed behind them and they were alone in the confines of the room he had spent many nights fantasizing about her, he took a few steps forward. The lights were still turned off but the blinds were open, providing the room with a faint light that was presented for them by the closest street light.

When he turned around he found Regina leaning her back to the door, all the while eyeing him playfully. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy the next couple of hours they would be spending alone.

"So… is that where you'll have me sleep?" She eyed the bed in a seductive manner that had him turning around to throw a short glance at the perfectly made bed before turning back to her once more.

"The answer to that question would have been yes… if I was planning on letting you sleep." With the courage alcohol provided, the words had slipped from his mouth easily. And with her flirting with him so blatantly, he figured he could give as good as he got.

"And is this…" she then turned to look down at her outfit –a button down shirt, a comfy skirt and mid heels she had chosen to wear along with stockings, "….what you'll plan to have me sleep in?"

The room echoed with his rich chuckle. If Regina Mills was really standing in front of him in his room, asking him if she could change into something more comfortable, who was he to stop her? He backed away to his closet, not taking his eyes off of her for one second as he opened one door to blindly grab a random t-shirt. When he closed his closet, Regina was now biting her lip.

Both her hands suddenly went to the top button of her shirt.

"Tell me, Mr. Locksley…" she purred, lifting herself off the wall. "Ever had a girl strip for you before?"

Well, if this was normal Robin -the sober one with a cheery attitude that mismatched his ties every day, the English teacher who hopelessly fancied his boss- that sentence would have had him swallowing hard before taking a step back.

But no; this was Robin after almost two bottles of wine on a nearly empty stomach and who was in the privacy of his own room. So instead, he did just the opposite of what he would have done, and took a step forward.

"That depends, are we to include dancing?" he found himself saying. Not because he wanted to get a dance out of her per se, but because he had come to realize that she liked it when he flirted with her.

"Let's say the whole…" It worked and her full lips curved into a small smile. And then she shifted her gaze momentarily to his crotch. "…package."

 _Oh God._ That was not flirting; that was plain seduction.

She unfastened the buttons, one by one, at an agonizingly slow pace. His gaze was already transfixed on her fingers, exposing the lace camisole underneath inch by inch for his imagination to feast on. He took in a deep breath and she pushed her chest forward as if she deliberately wanted his eyes on that specific area.

Well, she had nothing to worry about because his eyes were refusing to leave her body anyways. When the offending material was already off and thrown on the floor, she backed away again, but this time Robin was following her, the t-shirt in his hand already dropped and forgotten on the floor.

"So… children huh?" She threw him a sultry gaze over her glasses.

He paused for a second, way too distracted on the almost half naked woman before him to realize what she was talking about. Then seconds later, he remembered the said almost half naked woman was his pretend girlfriend he had paraded around in front of his parents just minutes ago. Their made up story came flooding back and his lips curved into a smile.

"Oh, I'm thinking at least two... as I'd like to mention twice every day... or was it every two days?" He stumbled forward a bit -but was quick to find back his balance. Alcohol did that to a person apparently, and it was obvious from Regina's weak stance that she was just as under the influence as he was.

"You mention it often enough."

Once her back hit the wall and he came to stand right in front of her, she ever so slowly took off her glasses and bit the end. His breath hitched in his throat at the sight and she rolled her eyes in a playful manner before hooking the glasses over the top button of his shirt. With that, the Regina he knew was back again and staring intently at him with one raised eyebrow.

"You want a boy or a girl?"

"Ah…" she sighed and leaned her head back to the wall. "One of each. They can keep each other company."

His fingers came into contact with her camisole as he felt the material in his hand. Looking down, he inspected her outfit once more before placing both hands on her waist.

Then he slowly knelt down.

"I've always wanted two girls, you know." He muttered quietly, his gaze fixed intently on the body before him.

Her back arched as his touch trailed down her sides, her shoulders pressing back into the wall as her hips twisted forward in search of his mouth. But he pulled back the last second with a chuckle -which had her sighing in frustration.

"Why is that?" he heard her say, as she lifted her arms up to keep them by her head on the wall, one hand already getting tangled in her own hair.

"Hmm," he shrugged, lifting her shirt up with his nose to press an open mouthed kiss right above her belly button. Then he spoke against her hot skin. "Always wanted to come home to my three lovely girls."

As this conversation was taking place whilst neither of them were anything close to sober, he felt the need to pause before lifting his head from where it was buried to look up at her. "Third being their gorgeous mum of course."

"Their mom, huh?" she chuckled and Robin turned his gaze back to her waist line. When he crouched even further she wiggled her hips under his touch, before giving them a luxurious roll which had Robin already drooling in anticipation. "What is she like?"

"Their mom, _my wife_ is…" he moved his head up until his lips traced the waist band of her skirt. "…the most breathtaking creature, whom I yearn to worship every night after she closes the bedroom door behind her."

Then he pulled the waistband down, exposing the delicious skin of her hip before sinking his teeth right above her panties. When she hissed quietly, he did it again, much harder this time. And she moaned in pleasure.

"What does she do for a living?" he heard her ask next. When he lifted his gaze, her eyes were closed and her head was still pressed up against the wall, messing up her hair even further.

"She is a physics teacher," he stood up though his hands did not leave her hips. "My parents love her, and she makes one hell of an apple pie."

"Every Saturday night," she opened her eyes. "When you bring her roses."

"Then we fall asleep in front of the TV." He completed the rest of their imaginary story and in that moment, realized how much he wanted for it to be real. Her full lips that she kept licking every once in a while were only inches away from his own, and he could already taste the wine on her breath.

"So tell me," she thrust her hips forward again but this time it was not his mouth that she was searching. She ground against his rock hard erection with a seductive smile. "Do you ever kiss this _wife_ of yours?"

"Mmm," Robin could already feel the heat pooling up inside of him. The anticipation would have been too much to handle if it wasn't for his intoxicated state. "I usually make her wait a little."

"Define _little_." Now the slight irritation was beginning to show in her voice -which he found all the more adorable.

"Well, you see, _my wife_ is a very sensual being, and so I like to treasure her body first, press my lips to every inch of her skin until she's writhing for me." With that he inched his lips closer to hers until he could breathe in every breath she exhaled but just as she licked her lips and leaned forward, he pulled back again with a proud grin.

She let out an involuntary moan before pressing her head back against the wall. Her hands rose and she traced her fingers down his side in a manner that gave him shivers, then she blindly located the end of his shirt and slowly lifted the material up his torso. Now it was his turn to sigh and close his eyes.

"Be careful or _your_ _wife_ might think that you're running off to some other women while you're making her wait." She bit her lip.

"Oh, my wife knows I only have eyes for her." He chuckled before diving his head straight into the crook of her neck.

"Then your wife should know that…" Her short intake of breath put pause to her words, but she gathered enough concentration to bring her hand to his head and grab a fistful of his hair to raise his gaze back up to hers. "…she is lucky to have you."

"Quite the opposite." He shook his head. "I am lucky to have _you_ , milady."

She lifted her head off of the wall and the street light that illuminated the small room shone in streaks on her face, the bright blue highlighting the slight moisture on her lips as she parted them and gasped. So he leaned down and finally closed the gap between his hungry mouth and her wine soaked lips that had been unoccupied for far too long.

"Mmm.." Her instant moan died in his mouth and she was quick in parting her lips to give him further access, turning the innocent kiss into a hot make-out session in a matter of seconds.

The minute their lips had met, Robin's hands had left her waist, now allowing his fingers to wander around all of her body, touching areas he had only dreamt of touching. One of his hands cupped her ass through the flimsy material of her skirt as his other one went up to her hair, tangling his fingers in her brown locks. She lifted one leg up to wrap around his waist, her skirt lifting even further to reveal her stocking clad thighs.

"Mmmh, bed.." he mumbled in between hot, sloppy kisses, pulling her pliant body against him. She had been struggling to stand up before; God knew the lack of power her fragile, alcohol numbed limbs carried.

She nodded fervently against his mouth, parting their kiss to sink her teeth into his lower lip, eliciting a stronger groan from him. At that point Robin was neither aware of his parents nor the fact that it was his boss with whom he was making out against the wall. For him, it was only Regina; Regina's lips on his, Regina's fingers around his neck and Regina's long, toned leg hooked around his hip.

So he leaned forward, placed his forearms under her bottom before lifting her inches from the ground, turning them around and placing her on the bed. Well, 'place' was the wrong word considering when their lips lost contact and he looked down at her sitting form on the bed, he realized he had been a bit harsh in his actions and now she was staring up at him with wide, brown eyes. Her hair was disheveled and her lips were wet from his saliva but her eyes screamed for more and who was he to deny her silent request?

However, before he joined her on the bed, both his hands shot up to his body, blindly searching for the one fragile object that he deemed important. When he spotted her glasses hanging on the collar of his shirt, he took them off with a knowing grin.

"Ever considerate." She giggled, watching him take a few steps back to place her glasses on the surface closest to him -which happened to be the small desk situated in the corner of the room. When he came back to stand in front of her, she was already parting her legs for him.

"How long have you known me?" he replied with a grin before leaning down to her. She was already sitting up, raising her head in the hopes of having their lips make contact once more. However, when he was close enough, he raised his hands to her chest only to suddenly push her on the bed.

She landed with a loud gasp accompanied by a giggle, but before she had a chance to retaliate he was already between her legs and lowering herself on top of her. His lips found hers again, his right hand shooting up to cup her face so he could get a better grip to thoroughly kiss her until she was a puddle in his hands. She returned his kiss, hands resting on either side of her head on the bed as she let him kiss her the way he wanted. But then she was moaning against his mouth and Robin could tell she was getting impatient. Sitting back up without letting their lips cease contact, she grabbed his collar –forceful enough for Robin to gasp against her mouth - and turned them around.

Once his back hit the bed, his hands instantly shot up to her waist, letting his fingers explore the surface of the thin camisole all the while lifting the dark colored material up to once again expose her flat tummy to his view. Though he could tell she had other plans in mind; she straddled him and made sure to sit right on his erection, giving them just enough friction to have them both closing their eyes in anticipation.

When Robin looked up at her from the bed, he decided she was certainly the hottest of all the women he had ever been with. Yes, there were always ones with gorgeous bodies and stunning faces, but Regina not only had both of those, but there was a certain manner in which she spoke, acted and kissed that made her irresistible to touch.

He made a quick attempt to sit up, his mouth already yearning for hers, but he felt both her hands on his chest as she mirrored his earlier actions and pushed him back down.

 _Alright,_ if she wanted him to stay down, he was going to stay down. If she wanted him to kneel in front of her right at that moment and eat her up until the dawn, he was going to do just that. Though that would serve more to his pleasure than hers; he had spent many nights on the exact bed they were exchanging kisses, dreaming about that specific event. He briefly wondered if she'd let him that close to her tonight.

He shook his head, alcohol already making him sleepy though sleeping was the last thing in his mind. Partly pondering if she was in the same situation as he was –though she certainly did not look like it- and partly curious as to if she was enjoying herself, he felt the need the ask.

"How are you feeling?" he breathed out as his hands came to rest on hers on his chest.

"Hmm…" she moaned, giving her lips another thorough lick that made Robin wonder why the hell he was lying down instead of ravaging her. "I am feeling… sexy."

"You look sexy." He confirmed and was pleased to see her let out another giggle. She then supported her weight on her arms, hands pressed tight against his chest as she proceeded to lift herself up ever so slightly only to plop herself down back on his crotch again, making them both breathe out in excitement.

"No… I mean," She ground a little bit on his rock hard erection which was now stuck painfully in his jeans, before once again lifting herself up and sitting back down again as if she was imitating penetration. His hands left hers and went up to her hips in order to hold her securely in place. "I don't remember feeling _this_ sexy in long _looong_ time."

"Well then… what do you feel like doing?"

"That depends." She then shifted her hands lower on his chest and a bit towards the middle until her fingers came in contact with the top button of his white shirt. Robin felt the first button coming undone, but he was far too transfixed on her face to look down.

"On what?" Robin felt her undo another button.

"Do you have condoms?"

"I might." He let out a low chuckle, amused by her eagerness. Then, he looked down to watch her undo the rest of the buttons before separating the ends of his shirt to reveal his body. When his chest was exposed, both her palms were immediately on it.

"And… uhm, one more thing," she bent down until her lips ghosted over his chest, lifting her butt up while doing so and, although Robin was disappointed with the loss of friction, he was glad he had something weighty to palm. So he moved his hand down to her rear, making sure to press his fingers against her skin as hard as he could, as he cupped her ass. She hissed at the contact.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her, silently hoping that she could just come back up to his face to resume their kissing. God, it had been so long since he had last kissed her. Had it been five minutes? Ten? A year?

"You…" Regina spoke then the rest of her sentence was delivered in such a way that he suddenly found himself to be the one hissing. "Have," her teeth closed around his nipple. "To be," she bit down on his skin. "Harsher…" her tongue licked its way down until her lips lingered just above his belly button. "With me." She then opened her mouth to bite down on the area she had been nibbling.

"How harsh exactly?" His words were delivered in between short intake of breaths.

When she paused, his free hand grabbed her arm only to pull her back up again until she was where he wanted her to be; right in front of him.

"Painfully harsh."

Swallowing hard, he nodded. "Duly noted."

Then, his hand crept up to her tangled hair. Fingers grabbing her head, he brought her down until their lips crashed in a wet, open mouthed kiss and her nails dug into his chest.

Exhaling loudly against her mouth, in one swift move he turned them over so she was now on her back with him laying on top. Both her legs instantly came to wrap around his hips as he bit down on her bottom lip, letting himself get lost in her fervent and eager kisses. He briefly wondered if she had been thinking about doing this as long as he had been. And the way she was now helping him slip out of his shirt hinted to him that the answer was what he hoped it to be.

Once the shirt was off, his lips left hers to trail small kisses down her jawline all the way down to her neck, until he found the special spot that made her writhe underneath him. She lifted her pelvis, desperate for a little bit of friction, but he went further down her body, ignoring the impatient groans that left her parted lips.

Sitting up between her parted legs, he took a moment to admire the hot and bothered woman lying there before him. Nodding approvingly, his gaze shifted to her legs on both his sides as he ran his fingers over her stockings. She groaned in frustration.

When rubbing did not have the desired effect, he grabbed both her thighs and gave them a sharp pull upwards until his erection hit right against the warmth between her legs.

"Ah!" Now, he elicited a loud moan from her. So… harsh it was.

"Be quiet, we don't wanna wake these kids of ours, do we?" He couldn't help but tease, leaning back down to bite down on the side of her jaw.

Scoffing, she brought one hand from his hair, trailing all the way down his front until her fingers found his erection. Then, Robin found out she had absolutely no reservations about grabbing him over his jeans and kneading the material with her hand.

"God!" he yelped at the sudden contact, a bit louder than he had intended.

"Look who's talking." She taunted, though she did not move her hand; instead she grabbed him harder through his jeans. Those had to come off, but he was far too invested in nibbling and sucking a sensitive spot on her neck to even take a break, nor did he even want to. He had come to realize that the perfume she had put on long before showing up at his place still happened to linger on her neck, and every time he breathed in, he got to experience the flowery, deep scent mixed with her own feminine musk.

She brought her other hand back to his neck, guiding him to her lips once more as she moaned luxuriously against his mouth, their kisses becoming hotter and wetter each passing second. His tongue invaded and explored her mouth, making them both forget that the next morning they had to be at school together. They had to leave behind last night's memories in order to teach, which, from the way this was going, did not seem like an easy task at all.

In fact, it did not seem like a task, period, considering Robin was too drowned in her to even remember he had a life before this.

One hand came up to lift her camisole even further and she arched her back, about to help him get it off when the loud knock on the door interrupted their make out session.

"Could you two lovebirds keep it down?" Came Howard's voice from the other side of the door, and Robin instantly froze in place. "Me and yer mother are tryina' sleep here!"

"Shit…" he cursed under his breath, burying his head into the crook of her neck.

"Unbelievable, I thought it would end in fifteen minutes…" Howard kept on grumbling as he headed away from the door in a grumpy attitude. "…but kids these days are so energetic…"

"Sorry, pops!" he lifted his head slightly to yell, all the while throwing Regina an angry look as she brought her hand to her face to stifle a giggle. Well, at least, _someone_ was enjoying this.

"It's like living with two rabbits…"

"We get it…" he spoke though now his voice much lower, as if he was talking to himself. Though Regina – apparently not having received the memo- laughed even harder.

"Oh, God…" she buried her face in her hands, cheeks already red with embarrassment. Her body shook in laughter as she tried to wipe away a few tears.

"I told you to be quiet." He replied but it was too late. Her giggling happened to be contagious and here he was, softly surrendering to his own soft chuckles as he fell on the bed next to her, aligning his body with his.

"Mmm and I told you the same." She replied, her body immediately coming to press against his side as he sighed and put an arm around her petite frame.

Watching her kick off her shoes –which dropped on the floor with soft thumps- he felt her cuddle up to him as his hand came to wrap around her waist. Her head was on his chest and he briefly wondered if he should have gotten rid of his jeans but she was so comfortable lying against his chest that he came to the conclusion that it would simply be a sin to disturb her.

"We'll uhm…" he whispered, eyelids already heavy. "We'll do this some other time."

"Of course…" she replied right back, voice coming out much lower. "Though absolutely not at school."

 _Unbelievable_ , that woman was the principle by reflex even when she was about to fall asleep.

"When we finish class then." He mumbled, turning his head slightly to press a soft kiss to her brow. Her hand came up to rest on his chest, and although he was already drifting too into sleep to hear it, she whispered…

"Yeah… After hours."


	17. Chapter 17

When it came to making breakfast, one could say Eleanor Locksley was a natural. She would wake up early in the morning, and after tossing a brief look of amusement to her husband -whose snores were loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood- she would get dressed and start planning a breakfast suited for royalty. She would dance around the kitchen until everything was as she wanted it to be, and she wouldn't sit down before the table looked perfect.

Howard would wake up in the midst of her preparations, coming into the kitchen with words filled with praise and gratitude before planting a soft kiss on his wife's cheek -who in return would smile and tell him to set the table. He would do it without complaint, knowing whatever his wife was preparing back in the kitchen was going to be more than worth the effort.

That is approximately how everything worked in the Locksley household back in England, and the second morning they spent in their son's house went pretty much the same, except while Eleanor was stirring the crepe mix, she had a bright smile plastered on her face.

"How long do ye think they'll be?" came Howard's voice from the living room as he finished arranging the table.

"Oh, dear, give them a break. God knows they'd love to sleep in a little bit after…" her voice died in the midst of her sentence only to be replaced with a loud clearing of her throat. Eleanor was not one to talk inappropriately.

"After they spent the night shagging like bunnies, ye mean?"

"Oh hush!" she raised her voice playfully, though couldn't help but giggle quietly at his words. Grabbing the pitcher full of lemonade, she made her way to the living room where she found him occupying one of the chairs with a newspaper in hand. "That's no way to address your son." Her gaze went to the second entrance of the kitchen that led to the hallway her son and honorary-daughter-in-law were at, subconsciously checking to see if they had heard them.

"He's my son, I'll address him however I want." He turned the page without glancing at his wife. "Besides, ye were the one to ask me to go pay 'em a little visit last night."

"Yes, because they were making a lot of noise." She walked back into the kitchen and started pouring the crepe mix into a pan. "What if they woke the neighbours?"

"They're young and in love, let 'em do whatever the hell they want."

Eleanor hummed in return as she busied herself with the task at hand.

"That they are…" she replied quietly to herself. When she was done with breakfast, she went back to the living room with a batch of freshly made crepes that she knew her son loved very much. "Don't they just make the most adorable couple?"

"Mm mh…" Howard nodded without tearing his gaze from his newspaper, unaware of his wife lowering herself on one of the chairs as she grabbed a piece of bread.

"I wonder when they are getting married."

"With this rate, he'll get her knocked up and you'll have yourself a beautiful wedding fairly soon." He chuckled, ignoring the deadly gaze his wife fixed on him.

"Oh, don't be stupid," she replied, backing up her son. "My Robbie's smart enough to use… protection."

With that Howard lowered his newspaper to throw Eleanor a brief look over the top of it. "Are ye sure? Because I haven't seen any condoms in the rubbish bin."

Eleanor's hand who was reaching for the butter stopped dead in its tracks as she widened her eyes in shock. Her gaze then went to the kitchen and spotted the bin before turning back to Howard with the same stunned gaze. He, in return, shrugged before focusing his attention back on his morning paper.

Just then they heard soft footsteps coming from the hallway and Eleanor raised her head to look through the open doors of the kitchen which were situated right opposite of each other, giving her a perfect view of Regina coming in. She watched as she made her way to the kitchen, unaware of their presence, as she tiptoed around to reach one of the cupboards, as if she was trying hard not to make any noise.

She tucked her shirt in her skirt and ran a hand through her messy hair before reaching for the apple tea on the high shelf and just as she was about to grab the kettle, Eleanor decided to announce their presence.

"Good morning, honey!"

Regina jumped in shock and managed to catch the mug with her hands seconds before it hit the counter. She then put a hand on her chest and sighed before opening her eyes to meet her  _mother-in-law_  again.

"Good uhm.. Morning, I didn't think that you'd be awake." She stuttered before walking over to the doorway to face Howard and Eleanor who were busy with their breakfast at the dining room. The older woman smiled and patted on the seat next to her. Regina shook her head and pointed at the mug in her hand.

The fact that she knew exactly where her son kept the apple tea did not go unnoticed by Eleanor, making her glad that the younger woman was at least keeping an eye on the house.

"Well someone kept us up last night." Howard spoke, without lifting his gaze off the newspaper.

"Shut up, Howie." Eleanor hit his arm and looked up at the last second to see her daughter-in-law turn bright red in embarrassment.

"About that, Robin and I…" she started.

"Oh, you don't have to explain yourself!" Eleanor stood up and came to stand in front of Regina, giving her one of her sweet smiles that warmed up the whole room. "It's perfectly normal for kids your age; the fun, the excitement-

"The arthritis that follows right after from being on your knees a long time…"

"Howard!"

"What? It's the truth!"

Eleanor rolled her eyes and turned to look back at the younger woman whose gaze was solely focused on the ground as she refused to even look up and glance at them. The blush that was creeping up her cheeks was even brighter now and Eleanor couldn't help but giggle a little. She truly was beginning to like this girl especially when she mentally compared her to that God-awful Marian woman who lacked manners.

Secretly, she was glad when that woman dumped her son because deep down someone better would come; someone who'd appreciate her son the way she appreciated him. And she guessed Regina to be the perfect woman for the job. Eleanor gave her another heart-warming smile.

"Anyhoo," she was quick to change the subject. "Would you care for some breakfast?"

"Oh, no… I don't like to be late to work." She replied quickly which was a bit odd for Eleanor given it was already past 8 AM and as far as she was aware, American schools started at 7.15 AM. Having memorized her son's schedule, in fact she knew lots more. But before she had time to point out that little fact, she saw her son set foot in the kitchen.

Clad still in his jeans and a white t-shirt from last night (which he had put on after waking up shirtless), Robin lazily made his way into the kitchen. However, upon spotting Eleanor and Regina, he stopped dead in his tracks. What happened next had Eleanor watching the couple in an intense gaze mixed with confusion and amusement.

"Hi." Her son replied the minute he made eye contact with the younger woman as he swallowed thickly.

"Hello." Regina replied back, both of them incredibly shy to even look at each other though Eleanor had no idea why. She frowned in confusion but decided to keep quiet.

"Did you uhm… sleep well?" Robin asked, scratching the back of his head.

"I did, thank you." She replied, turning slightly away from him as if she was ready to bolt out the door in case something had happened. "You?"

"Like a baby." He replied but when Regina threw him a curious look, he immediately altered his statement. "I mean, it wasn't anything special… just like any other night."

"I see." She cleared her throat before switching her gaze back on the ground.

There was a brief awkward silence before Robin spoke up again. Eleanor was all the more curious as to what was going on. Had they had a fight?

"There is some apple tea left… if you want to have some." He offered but before he could reach the shelf, Regina replied, lifting up the box.

"I've already got some, thank you." With that she hesitantly went to the counter, angling herself away from him as she reached for the kettle.

Nodding, Eleanor watched as Robin followed her lead and faced the kitchen counter as well, opening a cupboard and shuffling through the shelves. For a minute or two Eleanor let them wander around their own worlds in complete silence as they attended to their respective businesses next to each other without uttering a single word. Then, deciding she was not going to take it any longer, she broke the awkward silence.

"Have you kids been using protection?"

"Wha-" Robin turned so quickly that he bumped his head on the cupboard door with a loud bang as Regina shifted her weight from one hip to another too quickly, causing her to overbalance and stumble a little. From inside, came Howard's voice.

"Eleanor, I told you to leave them alone!"

"Be honest with me, Robbie, because-"

"Mom, we haven't been-" Robin started but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what he was about to say. His instincts took over and he shut his mouth before he could confess the truth. Bringing a hand up to his head to rub over the slight bump which was throbbing a little with pain, he turned to glance at Regina for help, who in return shrugged and went back to her apple tea. He already knew what she was thinking.

_She is_ _your_ _mother._ _You_ _sort it._

"You haven't been? Oh, dear lord!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"Am I getting grandkids?" came Howard's voice from inside.

"Yes!" Eleanor yelled.

"No!" Robin yelled back. "I meant, we haven't been actually… thinking about… you know what, mum? It's not any of your business."

"Well, who is gonna raise 'em when you two are at work all the time?" she replied, placing her hands on both her hips in a menacing way.

"Speaking of work," Regina interrupted them, turning around to face the mother and son with her mug in hand. "I should go home and change, we have an hour until first period starts."

"Right." Robin nodded, dropping the subject.

"An hour?" the older woman asked in confusion before checking her lovely white gold watch which was a Christmas gift from her husband. "Aren't you two already late?"

"It's 6.30 AM, we still have another hour."

"Honey," Eleanor smiled at the woman in front of him. "It's 8 AM."

"What!"

Regina jumped in shock for the second time that morning before carefully placing her mug back on the counter. She then turned to Robin, eyes flaring with panic. He instinctively took a step back, fully aware of her wrath.

"Your bedside clock said-"

"That clock is broken! Why do you think I'm late to work every morning?" he was quick to defend himself.

"Shit!" With that Regina ran back to where she came from, leaving Robin and Eleanor behind.

When she was gone, he turned to his mother and shrugged as if giving a silent apology for his girlfriend. After all, he had told her that the clock wasn't working, hadn't he?

He had, right?

"Are you sure you kids don't want some breakfast?" the older woman tried her chances one last time, tossing a brief glare at the table she had spent hours preparing.

"Some other time, mum." He scratched the back of his head, throwing a longing glare at the table. But before he had a chance to reconsider his decision, Regina popped back into the kitchen again only to grab his arm and drag him out of the tension-filled room.

#

Killian loved mornings like these.

There was nothing better than spending the whole night worrying about the homework you had forgotten, only to come to school the following morning to find the teacher who had assigned you the exact homework to be absent and the first period to be free.

To be honest, he had never seen Mr. Locksley as one to ditch one of his classes -let alone skip school. As far as Killian was concerned, even though the guy was fun and slightly lovable, he was still as responsible as it could get and Killian couldn't help but worry about his absence a little, hoping that nothing bad was going on. Though his worries were cut short when he finally spotted his pack of cigarettes in his bag pack; the same pack he'd had an older student get for him in exchange of some cash. Just as he was ready to step outside of the classroom, a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Where is Mr. Locksley?" came Emma's voice from behind him and when he turned around he found the blonde staring at him with eyes wide open.

"How should I know?" he shrugged, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Don't lie to me, Killian." She stepped forward in a menacing way that forced him to take a step back. "When one of our teachers is missing, it is usually your fault." She paused before adding. "Or Gold's."

Both teens then turned their heads to glance at the older student who was perched up against the window, playing with his yo-yo. When he realized the stares, he raised his head and frowned.

"It wasn't me!"

"Whatever…" Emma turned back to Killian. "Spit it out, pirate."

"Pirate, huh?" the boy winked. "Are we roleplaying now?"

"Pirates are famous for their abductions and ugly schemes, so… Where the hell is Mr. Locksley?" she asked one last time, already beginning to lose her patience.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, love, but it wasn't me." He shrugged before turning around to head outside.

"Where are you going?" David yelled from where he was sitting. "Besides, how come we don't have a sub?"

Killian stopped and turned to look at Emma who frowned in return. That was odd, indeed. If Mr. Locksley was not there, where was the substitute teacher?

"It's because Ms. Mills is also absent." Mary Margaret spoke up from next to her boyfriend. "No one to assign subs if the principal is not here."

"Now,  _that_ is curious indeed."

After ten minutes and a brief argument with Emma, Killian finally managed to find his way outside of the building to peacefully smoke. Now that Ms. Mills was absent, there was no one to stop him. It was his civic duty to use this opportunity to the fullest after all, and Killian was planning on doing just that until a car pulled up to the parking lot.

A car that looked suspiciously like the one Mr. Locksley drove.

Killian was quick to duck behind the bushes, now a sweeping feeling of fear taking over him. If he was caught smoking inside the school perimeters, this time there was no doubt that they would expel his ass. He quickly put out the cigarette he had just lit and fanned away the smoke with his hand before crouching even further behind the bush. When he heard the door open, he parted the leaves just to get a better look at what the hell was going on and why his favorite teacher was late.

He watched in surprise as the passenger door also popped open only to reveal a very angry looking Ms. Mills. He stopped breathing and watched with curious eyes.

"This is all your fault." The principal spoke up, and the only reason he could hear her from that distance was because she was yelling at the English Teacher.

"How was I supposed to know?" he yelled back, closing the car door only to open the door to the backseat before pulling his briefcase out in one swift move. Everything about him screamed anger and Killian guessed that it hadn't been a pleasant ride for both of them. He then frowned at the casual clothes he wasn't used to seeing the principal in. When did casual skirts and mid heels replace those power suits of hers?

"If it wasn't for you and that damn alarm clock…"

_Alarm clock? Had they spent the night together?_

Killian was barely able to stifle a gleeful giggle, but when he saw his teachers make their way towards the entrance of the building, he crouched even lower, praying not to be seen.

Before they could walk inside, Mr. Locksley stopped only to extend a hand towards Ms. Mills. She frowned and confusion and Killian parted the leaves even further to get a better look.

"Thank you… for everything." He spoke, though this time his voice came out even lower and Killian had to lean forward a little to understand.

Both men waited in anticipation as to what would Regina do, but instead of shaking the hand which was extended towards her, she shook her head in disbelief before walking through the door.

That little action she took caused two things; first Robin to part his lips in surprise as he was left watching her go with wide eyes, and second; Killian to lose his balance in shock and fall into the bush in a loud noise.

Which all led to Mr. Locksley's menacing hands on his collar as he dragged him back to the classroom.

#

"I said I was against violence towards students but if you don't tell me what the hell were you doing hiding behind the bushes and spying on your teachers, so help me God I will call Ms. Mills over here and tell her exactly what you have been doing!"

Robin shut the door behind him and the entire class lapsed into complete and eerie silence. Killian widened his eyes in shock.

"You wouldn't!"

"Watch me." He replied back without missing a beat. If playing the good cop didn't work then he was not scared in the least to call in the bad cop. Is that what he got for being a nice teacher?

"Mr. Locksley, please…" Killian took a step back and tried to ignore the stifled giggle on Emma's part. He threw her a deadly look and she stopped immediately, opting for clearing her throat instead.

"What. Were. You. Doing?" He articulated his question, never once breaking eye contact with the panicked student.

"Nothing, I swear!"

"Didn't look like 'nothing' to me."

"Mr. Locksley…" Killian was at a loss of words. "If I go to detention one more time, I'll be expelled."

"Damn right, you will."

"My dad would kill me!"

"He has to get in line." He ground out, then shook his head. Taking a deep breath, Robin closed his eyes and counted to ten. This was not who he was.

Yes, his student might have been spying on him, but it did not give him any right to threaten a teenager. He refused to be feared like Ms. Mills and remembered all the things he vowed to do before he started teaching.

_The good teacher explains. The great teacher inspires._

He silently repeated those words over and over before he felt himself comfortable enough to open his eyes again to face Killian, whose eyes were focused solely on the ground.

"Killian," he started and the boy instantly raised his eyes from the floor. "You explain to me,  _honestly,_ what you have been doing hiding behind the bushes and I will not go to Ms. Mills with this. Do we have a deal?"

The boy nodded frantically before opening his mouth to speak.

"So I was outside, taking in fresh air…"

Emma cleared her throat.

"Smoking. I was smoking…" he corrected himself and he didn't have to look up to see his teacher extending his palm towards him. He unwillingly took out the pack of cigarettes from his back pocket before carefully placing it in his hand. He then sighed in frustration before continuing with his story. "I was about to go in, I swear, but then I saw your car pull up in the parking lot and if Ms. Mills had seen me, she would have killed me!"

"Ms. Mills arrived with him?!" suddenly the quietest kid in class yelled.

"Yeah!" Killian replied. "And when I heard the whole thing with the alarm clock being broken which was why you two were late-"

"You can uhm…" Robin interrupted him. "…skip those parts."

"I didn't mean to spy, I really didn't, besides if you want to hide your relationship with Ms. Mills, that's totally cool."

"I don't have a relationship with Ms. Mills." He interrupted the boy once more, getting more alarmed by each passing second. Was that what the whole school thought of them? What if Regina heard of all this nonsense? What if she thought he was the one to start all those rumors? Killian wouldn't be the only one fearing his imminent death at the hands of the principle.

"Of course not!" Killian replied. "If that's what you want us to think."

Robin raised his head to take a brief look at the class and he was surprised to find them all nodding along, trying to cover up for a secret that didn't even exist. Shaking his head in disbelief, he addressed them all.

"I'm not dating your principal!"

He was met with various nods and giggles, and when he looked back down, he saw Killian zipping his mouth in a mock gesture before putting the imaginary key in his pocket with a smile. It was no use; they believed what they wanted to believe.

"Sit down," he commanded the boy in front of him.

Killian groaned before finding the way back to his desk -although he would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved. Yes, he might have gotten a bit of warning, but he was used to those. As long as he wasn't expelled, he was totally cool with everything. Though next time he knew he was going to take extra precautions.

Better safe than sorry.

"One thing I don't get," he whispered to Emma once he was seated right next to her. Mr. Locksley had already started his class but both kids were already not paying attention.

"What?"

"If my plan worked, and they are finally dating…"

"I doubt it was because of your stupid  _plan."_

"Then why," Killian ignored the blonde. "Why is Ms. Mills still angry?"

"What do you mean?" she frowned, turning in her seat to face him.

"We did all this to soften her up so she could quit giving out detentions to every living soul she sees. If she is dating Mr. Locksley, why is she all the more angry?"

"Maybe this relationship is more complicated than you think." The blonde shrugged before reaching for her book. The last thing she wanted was to hear more of her boyfriend's idiotic plans. Hadn't he learned his lesson already?

"We need to ease it out then." A wicked idea was already beginning to form in the kid's mind.

"No,  _you_ need to ease it out.  _I_ need to listen to class." Emma corrected him before finding the right page on her book and beginning to read.

#

Robin swept what was left of his sandwich off his table and into his hand before dumping the crumbs into the bin along with the paper bag it was wrapped in. Even though he had a whole cafeteria and a teacher's room at his disposal to have his lunch in, he found himself preferring the comfort of his own classroom. After closing the door, he was all alone with relaxing silence and a computer in front of him which kept him company. After working with teenagers the whole day, he realized he craved these quiet and alone times in his classroom.

True, Archie had insisted on having lunch together but turning him down in a polite manner hadn't been hard given how considerate he was. He really was the true friend he had in that school. Yes, there was Will Scarlet, his buddy since they were in high school, and August whose classroom was just across the hall but Archie was also a friend he truly cherished.

Maybe, he could confide in him about all of this.

But no, no, no that would have been way too idiotic. Why would a guy like Archie want to listen to a long tale about his little high school crush on their boss only to have been rejected over and over again? True, the last weekend they had spent together had given him hope, allowing both of them to see each other in a new light, but Robin was sure that any progress they had made that weekend was destroyed with the arrival of his parents. He had forced her into situations she did not want to be in, ended up making her profess fake love for him in front of people who had raised him, only to end the night falling asleep on top of him half naked.

Now,  _that_  was the wrong way to woo a lady.

He was almost sure after what had happened, her perspective regarding him had changed drastically, and now he was the cause of her foul mood. It was as if no matter what he did, he ended up screwing everything up.

It was his curse, and now he didn't even know where they stood in this weird relationship of theirs. Was she still his harsh and cold boss who had gained leverage on him by doing him a small favor? Or was she the woman from the weekend clad in his sweatshirt, giving him a chance of a future together?

Robin swallowed and closed the notebook in front of him.

There was one way to find out.

Locking up his classroom in a hurry, he made his way out the hallway in steps quick enough to surprise him. Half the school was in cafeteria for lunch and the other half was in their 4th period classes, so he was glad to find the hallways empty as he made a right turn. His heart started beating faster in his chest and he licked his lips before setting up a small speech in his head.

His feet didn't stop moving until he found himself in front of a door that had an engraved sign depicting the words 'The Principal's Office' on them, and he cleared his throat before knocking.

He then entered.

Regina was at her desk and the sight of her sitting on her chair, brown eyes holding a firm gaze locked on the computer screen with a slight scowl ever present on her lips was enough to send chills down any student's spine. The minute the door closed behind him, Robin found himself in the same situation -though it wasn't fear that clouded his judgment and made him weak in the knees; it was anticipation.

"Regina," he started and she immediately raised her head from her laptop. Giving him a brief look, she exhaled slowly before leaning back in her chair. That little move gave him slight hope but before he had a chance to get all excited, her eyes were back on the screen again.

"Oh, it's you," she spoke, unamused. "What do you want?"

Robin stepped into her office. She was absolutely right, he had no right to even talk to her, let alone ask her this big of a thing. After what had happened last night, he wasn't even sure if she wanted to see his face. After all, he did have a drunken escapade with her that led to nothing, after convincing his parents how much they loved each other. A hint of disappointment settled deep in his stomach when he thought of the difference between the woman kissing him yesterday and the woman sitting behind the desk now, not even bothering to glance at him.

He walked up in front of her desk with timid steps. Closing his eyes momentarily, he built up the courage before opening his mouth to speak.

"Do you wanna have coffee?" he finally breathed out, heart beating loud enough for her to hear.

"Yes, black with two sugars please." She replied without lifting her head from the screen.

"No, no, no…" he tried one more time, taking a step closer. "I mean,  _with me_."

She parted her lips to speak but realizing what he had just said, she raised her eyebrows in surprise before finally lifting her gaze off the screen only to meet his blue eyes. Finally, he had caught her attention.

"You mean… together?" she managed to speak although her voice came out an octave lower. "At the same time?"

"Possibly at the same table." He completed for her with a bright smile. To be honest, he liked leaving her speechless. She leaned forward and put both elbows on her desk as if getting close to him would help her understand what was going on.

"Like a date?" she asked, not tearing her gaze away from him even a second.

"Yes." He spoke after a beat. "A date."

He watched as her lips curved into a smile and for a moment he thought that she was mocking him. He was just about to shake his head and walk out the room when he saw the hint of a blush creeping up her cheeks which caught his interest. His feet urged him to stay.

"What makes you think I'll say yes?" she leaned back against her seat in mock confidence.

"Because if we were to disregard the catastrophe that we went through last night, this morning we woke up together." He swallowed before finally disclosing a fact he had been keeping to himself since that morning. "And before you got up… you kissed me on the cheek."

Her smile disappeared from her face in a fleeting second.

"I thought you were asleep." She instantly broke their eye contact before biting her lower lip.

The cat was out of the bag and the awkwardness in the morning was resolved, though Robin still thought it might have been a bit too early to talk about what had happened the other night. So instead, he focused on today.

"I wasn't." He nodded, trying to regain the eye contact and lowered his gaze. It worked and her eyes were back on his again. "I liked it."

A ghost of a smile played across her lips but it was gone before he could appreciate it.

"Look," he changed the subject. "After all that's happened, I would understand if you turned me down but-"

"Yes."

"I would really like to… What?" he blinked a few times, trying to interpret what she had just said.

"How does tomorrow sound?" she raised her eyebrows with satisfied grin.

"Did you just say yes?" he asked, baffled and completely stupefied. Before coming there, he had considered every different ways in which she could say no. He had prepared himself for the worst and now he had just realized, he had never even once considered the possibility of her actually saying… well, yes.

"I'm a busy woman, Mr. Locksley. You got your answer." With that she leaned forward once more, eyes gazing up on the computer screen. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh.. Of course." He mumbled, taking a step back. "Pick you up at 5 pm, after school?"

"Mm hm." She hummed, not really paying attention to the rest of the conversation.

When Robin walked out the door, he had a date in his hands and a smile on his lips.


	18. Chapter 18

There was a kind of silence that clouded the little coffee shop situated in a remote location; the sort of silence that would be deemed comfortable by middle aged people, and eerie by the younger ones.

The usual gentle murmur of voices could be heard above the staff -and there were so few customers that most of them opted to spend their time on their phones. The walls were a deep, dark red, giving the place a cozy atmosphere and complimenting the brown, mahogany tables that were spread around the room. Right in the middle of the half-empty café was an old couple, sitting right opposite from each other. The lady, whose green eyes were hidden behind her dark framed glasses, leaned over to brush the dust off of the salt and pepper hair of her husband. It wouldn't be hard for a distant observer to conclude that this was a couple who thoroughly enjoyed the quiet air of the place. The rich aroma of coffee beans drifted in the air.

Over by the door, there was a young lady who was so carefully focused on the laptop in front of her that she was unaware of her surroundings. When the waiter came by to sweep her table, a desperate attempt to get rid of the crumbs of her long-eaten sandwich, she neither noticed his presence nor the longing smile the young man threw at her ever so subtly.

By the wall which led to the kitchen, there was a middle aged man sitting by himself with the New York Times in hand. Clad in a proper suit accompanied by a slightly loosened, navy blue tie, one could say that he had just gotten back from work. Though even if he held his firm grasp on the paper, in his other hand he tightly grasped his smart phone and refused to tear his eyes away from it.

The cashier behind the counter laughed at whatever joke the barista with blonde hair was busy telling her. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts and lives.

Now, Robin was able to observe and notice all that, solely because his date was going completely and absolutely… terrible.

They were seated by the window that started from the ground and reached all the way up to the ceiling, giving them a nice view of the empty lot next to them and the couple of trees that surrounded it. The soft rain drizzled outside, a few drops occasionally hitting the glass and racing each other to the bottom. Their table had a good view of the entire café, all the while giving them the privacy they needed by being located in a secluded corner.

Regina had a caramel colored shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders as she sipped her coffee and watched outside. The evening light was reflected upon her face and she looked so cozy that Robin had the urge to pull his chair up to her side and slip an arm around her shoulders. Except of course, the stern look on her face every time she turned to catch a glance at him prohibited Robin from doing what was crossing her mind.

This date was more of a nightmare than a fantasy.

"So…" he started, deciding he was not going to be able to take the silence any more. They had been there for around ten minutes and every second of it was filled with awkward tension. So he decided to go with a redundant ice-breaker. "What do you do for a living?"

She swallowed and turned away from the window to face him. From the look on her face, one could say that she was not amused.

"Not funny."

"At least I'm trying." He replied, turning to glance out the window himself, since eye contact was no use. "People are supposed to get to know each other on these kinds of things."

"You already know a lot about me." She shook her head, obviously finding the whole process a bit unnecessary.

"As my boss, yes." He spoke in a low voice, just enough for her to hear. Even though he didn't think that anyone would eavesdrop on them, he still wanted to keep them as private as possible. "But not as a woman."

"There is not much to know." She shrugged and eyed her coffee. Her perfectly manicured fingers were wrapped around the white mug and Robin's gaze was fixed on it. Her hand fidgeted with the gold ring around her finger which was resting around the ceramic. "I am a simple woman."

"I think…" he murmured, lifting his gaze off of her hands to meet her eyes which were beginning to soften. "You might just be the most interesting one I've ever met."

Her smile was instant, and she looked down at the last minute to hide her blush. Unfortunately for her, it did not work and Robin managed to catch a glimpse of it before it disappeared. When she raised her head, her usual stoic expression was back again.

"You don't know anything about-"

"I know that you don't let people get close to you that easily." He interrupted her; not even allowing her to finish her sentence, for he had a clue as to what she was going to say. "I know that you are dedicated to your job and won't let anyone interfere with it. I know that you don't wear anything unless it's thoroughly ironed and I know that you like apple tea in the mornings."

"Tell me," she replied, eyebrows already raised in surprise. "Is being 'romantic' a job requirement for English teachers or is it just you?"

"I am trying to court you, milady." He exaggerated his already thick British accent. "Would you prefer if I went about it some other way?"

"That will not be necessary." She let out a soft giggle and Robin found himself watching nothing but her nude colored lips. "God, how did your first wife deal with you?"

Though the question was meant to be rhetoric, Robin took it upon himself to answer it. Besides, the air was a lot more playful compared to a couple of minutes ago, and he felt as if he could talk more comfortably now.

"She didn't." He brought his mug to his lips and took sip. "She divorced me."

Then Regina's eyes softened and she was the one to try and catch his gaze. He placed a hand on his chest and ironed out the non-existent wrinkles on his chestnut sweater before lifting his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry about that." She spoke in a soft tone.

"Oh, that's okay. You don't have to-"

"I'm sorry for  _your wife_  I mean. She had to suffer through you, after all." She replied and paused immediately. After a beat, her lopsided smile gave her away and she burst into a fit of giggles that added a whole new perspective to their date. Robin found himself taken aback in the most pleasant way.

"Thank you for your kind words." He managed to say, eyes still wide with shock, not as to what she had just said but to the fact that… she was actually enjoying herself. So, this date was not going as bad as he had originally thought. A gentle smile began forming upon his lips.

"Well, it's the least I could do for this disappointment of a coffee you bought me." She replied in a judgmental tone, lifting the mug in her hand. Taking a brief sniff, she set it back down on the table with a scowl.

"The company's better than the coffee."

"God, this romance thing again… I'm gonna be sick." She shook her head but the cold demeanor that she hid behind every day was long gone, and there was a constant smirk on her lips that Robin came to love. He felt himself more at ease and was glad to see her do just the same.

"Bathroom's that way." He pointed a mocking finger towards the hallway. She didn't even turn to glance in the direction.

There was a brief silence spent with both of them sipping their respective drinks -which were now just warm enough to flow freely down their throats without burning them. Then Regina, having come to a conclusion that the coffee was indeed horrible, set her mug down and spoke.

"Is that an offer? Because I'm a bit more refined than hooking up in a public restroom."

Robin barely managed to swallow his drink. He could swear he was seconds away from choking when those words left her mouth, indicating that there was a possibility that she wanted to take this conversation into another level, and no matter how little that possibility was, he was ready to take her up on her challenge.

"Well then, I'm certainly glad that my bedroom met your standards." It was the first time one of them had mentioned that night. It was as if since it had happened, they had sworn not to broach the subject. What was done was done and there was no need for neither of them to blush with embarrassment whenever they looked into each other's eyes.

However here he was, breaking that unspoken rule and much to his surprise, here she was, playing along.

"The wine lowered them." She bit her lip and Robin recalled that night once more.

"And I raised them."

"No, I was the one who did all the raising." She murmured in low and sultry tone that he wasn't used to hearing. Giving him a smoky gaze, she smiled once more and brought the mug to her lips.

He swallowed thickly.

"Yes, I didn't know that you could do that thing… with your hips." A brief memory of her leaning against the wall flashed in his mind. In his head, she lifted her hips off of his bedroom wall once more and rolled them between his hands, slow enough to drive him crazy.

"If we were standing up, I could do it again for your viewing pleasure." She bit down her lower lip and crossed her legs. Under the table, her high heel clad foot brushed against his lower leg and he hissed in surprise.

"Again… bathroom's that way." He murmured though this time the same sentence was uttered for entirely different reasons.

"Yeah," she said with a seductive smile. "By the looks of it,  _you're_  gonna need it."

Then she flashed a brief look at his crotch and when he followed her gaze, he realized that there was a tent forming in that specific area and he raised his eyebrows in shock.

_Shit._

Immediately, he reached over and grabbed his briefcase that he had hung by its strap over the back of his chair, placing it right on his lap in a desperate attempt to cover it up. He couldn't believe -and didn't want to believe- the fact that this woman, sitting oh-so-comfortably in front of him was capable of arousing him with just a few words. He pressed the briefcase tighter on his lap and prayed for his erection to go away.

"I didn't know that it was this easy to get you…  _excited_." The shawl had dropped from around her shoulders to the back of her chair and when she leaned down to rest her elbows on the table, her breasts got squeezed between her arms, giving Robin a perfect view of her cleavage through the crimson blouse she was wearing.

"That's a lie." He replied, pressing the damn briefcase harder. "You knew it better than I did."

"Maybe." She shrugged in a playful tone. "Maybe not."

He had just opened his mouth to bite back a snarky response; one that would have her laughing. But the last thing he had ever wanted was to put an end to their flirting -which had started out of nowhere but was pleasantly welcomed. He smiled, parted his lips and…

" _Maybe_ , you would like it if I..."

"Mr. Locksley!"

Both adults turned to look where the unfamiliar voice came from and when they were finally able to tear their gazes away from each other, they saw none other than their two favorite students making their ways to their table with cheerful smile on their faces.

"Ms. Mills!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, recognizing their other teacher.

"Hi David," Robin smiled the minute he made eye contact with the boy who had just walked in with his girlfriend. "Hey, Mary Margaret."

"Hi!" The girl spoke, with an overly excited tone for some reason.

Yes, spotting his two students outside of the school when he was having the most important date of his life was not something he had wanted to happen, but no matter what, he was a teacher -a teacher who adored his students. So seeing them had put a gleeful smile on his lips and a bright sparkle in his eyes.

Though, when he turned to look at his date, the same apparently did not go for her. She ran her fingers through her dark hair and gave them a forced smile, nowhere close to the one she had been giving him just minutes ago. Robin couldn't help but think; was she  _that_  unhappy that their date was interrupted?

"Oh my God, it's so weird seeing you here, Mr. Locksley!" David spoke once they were near their table. "Didn't know that teachers had private lives."

Mary Margaret elbowed him and Robin bit back a chuckle.

"It seems we do, David." He replied.

"Hello, Mr. Nolan, Ms. Blanchard." Regina was ever the serious one.

"God!" Mary Margaret exclaimed all of a sudden. "David, we are so stupid! They are out on a date and we ruined it!"

"No!" Both adults yelled at the same time.

"Wow Mr. Locksley, so you really are dating Ms. Mills! Like you said you were!" David gave off a bright smile and held his girlfriend's hand even tighter. He couldn't wait to tell the other kids.

"I didn't!" Robin was quick to reply with wide eyes.

"You said what?" Regina asked with raised eyebrows from opposite of him. She then leaned back to her chair and crossed her arms in front of her, expecting an immediate answer.

"I absolutely did  _not_  say that." He spoke, more to her than the children.

"David you are so stupid," Mary Margaret turned to her boyfriend. "Didn't he say that he wanted to keep it private?"

There was a brief pause spent with Robin staring at the two in disbelief. Then he turned to Regina and saw her frown, obviously wanting him to explain himself. He had no idea one situation could get out of hand this fast.

"Regina, I kept it quiet I swear."

"Yes, it seems you have." She pursed her lips and switched her gaze between him in the couple, obviously not believing any word her date said.

"We are so sorry, Mr. Locksley." David said after a beat with an apologetic look. "We had no idea."

"That's okay."

"Oh, and…" David was just turning to leave when something caught her attention. "Why are you holding your briefcase on your lap?"

"I uhm…" Robin looked down at his lap, then back to his students. Then he switched his gaze to Regina who gave him a victorious smile and shrugged. Of course, she was not helping… "It's because… I don't want to get it dirty."

"Oh?" Mary Margaret spoke. "There is a coat hanger over by the doorway, we can hang it there for you." She then reached for the briefcase but before she had a chance to grab it, she was stopped by her other teacher.

"No, no!" Regina jumped in the last second. "It was my gift to him, it can get stolen out there."

"Oh, of course." David said and thankfully he didn't think much of it. "Anyway, see you Mr. Locksley, Ms. Mills!"

With that, the young couple was off and they were once again left alone though this time, Regina threw him a look so deadly that Robin couldn't help but avert his gaze.

"Thank you." He finally managed to respond.

"Wish I could tell you the same." She leaned forward and directed her two brown eyes which were flaring with anger on him. "What do you think you're doing? I have a reputation to uphold."

"And what? Dating the English Teacher would look bad?" he scoffed.

"Dating my employee would look bad."

"Regina," he replied and took the briefcase away from his lap since the coast was now clear and having to explain to the most innocent student in his class that thoughts of the principle had given him a boner was one hell of a mood-killer. He hung it back onto his chair and grabbed his mug. "Believe it or not, people talk."

"About what?"

"Us." He confessed. "Even before we started doing  _this_ , I would hear rumors, bets, gossip about us all over the school. So, I suggest instead of trying to deny it, we should just embrace it while being as civil about it as possible."

She let out a deep breath before closing her eyes. Robin watched as her fingers went up to her necklace as she played with the pearls. Licking her lips, she opened her eyes and spoke.

"There are bets?"

"Darling, you don't wanna know…"

She nodded and took a hold of her mug. At that point, Robin didn't even think that she was drinking that horrid coffee, but instead was using it as a cover. For the time he had known her, he came to realize that Regina liked to fidget when she was nervous. If it wasn't an object in front of her, it was her necklace. If it wasn't the hem of her shirt, it was her hair.

"Are they staring?" She spoke after a beat, not tearing her gaze away from the coffee which had completely cooled down.

"Yeah." Robin did not need to look to know that at the other end of the coffee shop, David and Mary Margaret were sitting down and observing the couple. It was as if their stares bore holes into his forehead. He also did not need to be a fortuneteller to know that come tomorrow morning; the whole school was going to have heard about what had happened. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"Yes, please." Her voice was soft and he did not need to be told twice.

#

The rain had progressively become worse since they left the café.

Since Robin had the courtesy to pick Regina up from her house for this date, they were now back in the silence of his car -although this time it was neither awkward nor eerie, but comfortable. He could tell that by two things; first, Regina was leaning back in the passenger seat and she had her head resting against the head-piece. Her eyes had drifted outside and she seemed to watch the rain drops coming in contact with the window. And second; she was not fidgeting.

"So…" she broke the silence though her voice was low. "What kind of a bet do they have about us?"

Robin couldn't help but chuckle at her question. "You don't wanna know."

"But, I do." She replied. "I need to know what my students say about me behind my back."

"Well," Robin kept his eyes on the road since the rain was making the conditions rather treacherous. "About thirty students think that we are sleeping together and about five or six have bet against it."

"Thirty?" she exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat and turning to get a good look at him. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so."

"And how do you know that?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Will Scarlet. He is close friends with a couple of students." He shrugged and flashed her a brief, amused smile. Though he did not get one in return.

"This relationship… or whatever it is," she shook her head. "Has more fans than I had thought."

"People believe in true love." Robin chuckled and ignored the angry look he just receiver from her. "I've taught them well."

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead, she looked outside with a frown before turning to look at him.

"Wait, where are we going?"

"You didn't think that the café was the end of our date, did you?" he asked in a tone feigning shock.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did."

"Well, you thought wrong."

Around ten minutes and a very impatient principal later, Robin parked the car and turned off the engine, trying his very best to ignore the angry looks he was getting. He would be lying if he were to say he hadn't thought about this a long time ago. A coffee date was a great idea, yes, but he had some other things in mind to prolong this day, especially after they were busted. It had forced Robin to think on his feet, and the only sensible thing he could come up with was this though a part of him knew that Regina was going to find this idea absolutely ridiculous.

"Movies? Really?" Regina asked after a beat. Now that the engine was turned off, they could hear the sound of rain beating against the car even better now.

"Why not?" he shrugged.

"For the very simple reason that we are not teenagers." She replied in a beat, as if it was an obvious thought.

"You wanted to leave, and this was the first thing that came to my mind." He shrugged, and it was the truth; after they had gotten into the car, he had drove them to the closest location, and besides… people went to see movies on their first dates, right?  _Right?_ "I know, it's not quite planned but… indulge me."

"Ugh," she shook her head. "I have a feeling that I'm gonna regret this." With that she opened the door and got out the car.

They were completely drenched by the time they were inside the theater, even though it was only a short walk. Regina took off her trench coat which she had been holding over her head to shield her hair from the rain -though Robin could tell it hadn't done much good considering her bangs were a bit damp. Though the same could be said about him; he was naïve enough to think he could outrun the rain -which he didn't.

The café shop they had started their date in was in a remote location to set a cozy atmosphere for its customers, true, but Robin had never once thought about the fact that driving to the closest movie theater which situated in a deserted part of the city, was a peculiar idea. It was a movie theater and it happened to be close by although it was nowhere near what one would call 'popular' or 'crowded'.

"Two tickets to… whatever's playing right now."

"Really?" she spoke from next to him. "You don't even know what movie we're gonna see?"

"To be fair; I didn't even know that we would be going to the cinema." He defended himself as he took the tickets without even tossing a glance at them and extended his card to the cashier. "Come on, where is your Bohemian side?"

"Dead."

It had taken them about another ten minutes to get settled down in the movie theater, having found seats in the far back of the room. Robin even had the courtesy to ask her if she wanted some popcorn but one look from her was enough to shut him up.

"I still don't understand the point of being here." She mumbled, more to herself than him as she flopped her purse on the seat next to her before sitting down. The whole theater was practically empty -though Robin did not know why.

The lights that were attached horizontally on the velvet walls were dimmed, giving the place a provocative sort of atmosphere that could intimidate a person. When he turned to look at her, he saw her face illuminated by those dim lights, and came to the conclusion that this ambience suited her character; mysteriously dark and yet light in all the right places.

"Stop complaining." He replied, leaning back against his seat. "It's what people do when they're out on a date."

"Yes… if they are sixteen." She scoffed, fishing out her shawl from the purse she had tucked it in just before they had left the coffee shop.

Shaking his head, he let himself be distracted from the woman next to him as his eyes briefly roamed over the area. As far as he could see, they were not the only ones occupying the theater. About four rows front, there seemed to be a couple that were glued to each other. The red hair on the lady's head was resting on the guy's shoulder and Robin watched as he tightened his arm around her. They seemed to be in their own world. Also, since it was a séance after six, the smell of popcorn in the air was slowly dissipating, giving its place to a more romantic air that surrounded the room.

Leaning forward, Robin also spotted an old lady by herself sitting down at the very front row which seemed awfully curious. Though he was brought back to reality when Regina broke the silence.

"You're not planning on putting your arm around me, are you?" she asked after a beat. "Or give me my first kiss since we are, apparently, back in middle school."

"Oh, I wouldn't give you that pleasure." He replied with a smirk and when he turned to look at her, he spotted a glimpse of a smile on her lips too.

Her shawl was once again wrapped around her shoulders and she had already gotten comfortable. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning back in her seat as her dark brown eyes watched his every move. Suddenly, the cozy vibe she had been giving off back in the café was here in that movie theater, and Robin found himself relaxing along with her. From the way her eyes watched him, he had a feeling that they were not going to be that focused on the movie.

He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

Then the dim lights were completely turned off, and the big screen in front of them was no longer blank.

Robin had to admit, there was something sort of exciting and yet domestic about going to the cinema with Regina. First and foremost, he never once his life would have imagined that he would get her to agree to this… well she hadn't really, considering he had practically kidnapped her from the coffee shop, but looking at her now as she wrapped the caramel colored garment tighter around her body and kept her eyes focused on the screen before her, one could tell that her previous complaints were just that of pretense, and she genuinely enjoyed being there.

Or maybe she didn't and she was simply going through this crap just for him -which helped form a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach regardless.

Despite his romantic heart, he really did hate to be one of those guys who watched the girl instead of the movie, and so in order not to creep her out (because deep down, he knew that she'd call him out with a simple 'You're the one who dragged our asses here and you're not even watching the movie?'), he returned his attention back on the screen in front him.

Though when he did, a whole different sight awaited him.

The opening credits or the life story of some random hero that he had expected to see when he bought the tickets, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was met with an interesting view of a man and a woman making out… in a way that seemed far too passionate for the camera…

"Uh..." he murmured to himself and turned his attention momentarily to the women next to him -the one who was currently giving the screen a look that reminded him of the times she had caught students sneaking out of the school. Her eyebrows were raised in surprise as she supported her head on her hand, giving her an appearance as if she was deep in thought.

Then the male protagonist, who was wearing a sort of funny, green hat that Robin found vaguely familiar, laid the woman down on the grass and then he… Were they in a forest? What?

"Uh, Robin…" Regina then spoke after a beat without tearing her gaze away from the screen. "What was the name of this movie again?"

His hands instantly went to his pockets, subconsciously searching for that piece of paper he had in his hand just a couple of minutes ago. The man on the screen was now tearing off the woman's clothes as he trapped her between his body and the ground. She closed her eyes and let out a moan, and that's when Robin managed to locate the ticket.

Leaning forward, he let the piece of paper be illuminated by the light coming from the screen. From next to her, Regina turned to look at him with curiosity. Then the words became readable, and the minute he understood what was going on, he jumped in surprise.

"Throbbin' Hood?" he yelled, a bit louder than he intended.

"What?"

"That's the name of the movie?!" He leaned back into his seat with complete bewilderment before directing his gaze back to the screen. Then, deciding it was a bad idea, he turned to look at Regina instead. This was  _not_ happening.

"Oh my God…" she managed to breathe out, lips parting in surprise. "I hate to break it to you but… I think this is a porn parody of Robin Hood."

"It is a what?!" He jumped in his seat, all his senses completely on alert. For a second, he tried to process the information he had just gotten, but then not knowing what to do with himself, he let his mouth run before him as he stared blankly at the big screen in front of him, now showing two half naked people. "But, but, Robin Hood is an honorable man… He steals from the rich and gives to the poor."

"Well," Regina's intense gaze was focused on the movie as she tried to understand what was going on. "He is giving it to someone alright…"

"How can they do this?!" Robin exclaimed one more time at the complete and utter disgrace unraveling before his eyes. His favorite hero that he had grown with was no longer the same to him.

"God…" Regina whispered one last time, and Robin was seconds away from grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the bloody movie theater when he heard her quietly snicker from next to him. When he turned to look, he watched with amazement as her baffled expression slowly transformed into an amused one, and before he knew it, she was in a fit of giggles, now trying very hard to keep herself in place. "Oh my God!"

"Why are you laughing?" He asked after a beat which did not stop her. Her giggling was now turning into a full blown laughter and quite honestly, he was a bit taken aback by the whole thing. He didn't know whether to be surprised about what was going on in the movie or Regina's reaction to it.

"I'm sorry, I just…" She managed to breathe out between a series of chuckles. Trying to control her breathing, she spoke again. "This is the funniest thing ever!"

"Okay, I know this date is not exactly what you had in mind when you agreed to…" he tried to come up with an explanation as to how they could leave this movie theater without anyone noticing when she interrupted him.

"Not what I had in mind? You got that right." She replied, eyes back on the screen with a stunned expression.

"We can leave whenever you want."

"Leave?" She asked in surprise before turning to face him. Her eyes flickered in excitement and she had a healthy blush on her cheeks. "This might just be the best date I've ever been on, we're not going anywhere."

"We're not?" He said, trying to make sure that he had heard her correctly. Then the female protagonist started moaning and Robin's surprised gaze was back on the screen again. After all he was a man and that woman was now fully naked.

"Unless you're uncomfortable…" she said, her expression changing into one of concern as she turned to look at him.

"No, no, no… Just didn't think that you'd be into this sort of thing." He leaned back into his seat and placed both hands on his thighs. Well, that explained why there were so few people in the movie theater. Looking down now, he could see that the couple in front of him was making out, oblivious to their surroundings.

"Well then, this date actually worked." She shrugged before throwing him a brief look. "You  _have_  learned something else about me."

#

It had been approximately half an hour since the movie had started, and Robin was thinking way too hard about his dead grand-mother.

Because getting boners in movie theaters was absolutely and horribly wrong.

Every once in a while he would catch himself watching Regina from the corner of his eyes, gauging her reaction to all that was going on in the film (which was hell of a lot) and every time he would meet her stoic expression that refused to give anything away. The shawl wrapped even tighter around her body was held in place by the edges when she crossed her arms in front of her and watched without uttering a single world. The only movement that gave her away was the occasionally crossing and uncrossing of her legs -which was enough to distract Robin since he was hyper aware of every single thing she did.

What was once an innocent date had turned into something he never knew coming. Looking back up, he watched as all sorts of inexplicable acts continued to take place in the film, forcing him to question once more what the hell he was doing in this movie theater. Then his attention would switch back to Regina -who refused to tear her eyes away from the screen- and it would give him some sort of false comfort.

The man on the screen then suddenly spoke up, and Robin watched as he picked the woman up and held her against the tree; the new position giving them whole new options of angles that had the girl crying out in pleasure. And that moment must have gotten Robin's attention since all of a sudden his eyes were back on the screen again, and he couldn't help but shuffle in his seat after a brief grunt that he hoped went unnoticed.

It of course, didn't.

"Enjoying the movie?" Regina leaned over and whispered to him, and he came to a conclusion that feeling her breath against his skin was not a good idea at all.

"Not as much as you are." He countered, though he forced himself to look down the minute she uttered those words.

"If you are having trouble containing yourself…" She started with a giggle but was quickly interrupted.

"I am not having trouble with anything." Though Robin was sure that he was beginning to lose all coherent thought as the man on the screen kept on mercilessly thrusting, making the woman scream out in various octaves.

"Maybe you should put that briefcase back on your lap; you look like you need it." She pointed at the small tent forming in the crotch of his pants before letting out a full blown laugh.

He quickly adjusted his trousers so it wouldn't be as visible to her viewing pleasure. "Fine, mock away, but next time I catch you in an embarrassing situation, I won't hold back."

"Oh, when have you ever caught me in a situation like that?"

"Oh, I don't quite remember, Ms. Kiss-On-The-Cheek-Before-He-Wakes-Up." He replied with a smile, and was glad to see her blush and turn away from him.

"Touché." She replied without turning to look at him. Then, after a brief pause, she shook her head and reached for her purse.

Robin turned his attention back to the screen. Since the plot was practically non-existent, he watched as the two characters kept on 'giving each other good' as they put it, and before he could lean back and endure the last hour of the show while trying to forget his manhood –since he wouldn't like to embarrass himself any further in front of the lady next to him -he heard a low thump followed by a quiet curse.

"Shit, I dropped my phone." She mumbled quietly to herself.

"You want me to get it for you?" He was just about to lean down when she stopped him.

"No, that's okay. I'll get it." She replied with a sigh before taking the shawl off of her shoulders and gracefully lowering herself down on the floor.

"To be honest, when I imagined you on your knees it was never in this context." He joked, and despite her refusing his help, he still leaned forward in his seat.

Then he felt a playful slap on his thigh.

"Shut up." Her fingers pushed her hair back as she blindly searched for the small device, their movie long forgotten. The faint light coming from the screen illuminated her cleavage and Robin stopped himself from looking every time he got distracted.

"You got it?" He then asked after a beat, ready to get down on his knees if her attempts had proved to be futile.

"Yeah." She answered much to his delight before throwing the phone back in her purse with an exhausted sigh.

"Here, let me help you up."

She let his hands find her forearms, and he leaned forward, about to pull her back into her seat when all of a sudden he was met with a slight resistance. Frowning, he focused his attention on his face, seconds away from asking what the hell was going on when she, much to his surprise, gave him a playful look before tearing her gaze away from him and looking around the movie theater.

"Regina?" He questioned her motives, and he was just about to help her up once more when she turned back to him again and took her arms away from his grasp.

"What are you…" He was nothing but confused as he searched her face for clues. She, on the other hand, instead of giving him a decent explanation, smiled and placed a hand on his chest before pushing him back into his chair. Then, she threw a brief and yet dangerous look at his crotch.

_What the hell?!_

"Regina…" He raised his eyebrows in surprise, wanting to make sure what was actually going through her head. His heart sped up in his chest and he threw her a suspicious look. "You won't find your phone there…"

However, despite his attempts, she was not answering. Shuffling forward, she placed both perfectly manicured hands on his knees before slowly parting them and moving in between.

Robin then lost all coherent thought.

"What is.. What are you doing?" He managed to stutter all the while scanning their surroundings. The couple seated a couple of rows front were already doing a lot more than them, and there seemed to be no other living soul in sight except for the old lady at the very front whom Robin chose to ignore.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Regina asked before throwing him a sultry smile. Having her on her knees as she situated herself right between his legs and looked up to him was a sight he never imagined he would see. It made him swallow… hard.

Her hands gently made their way up his thighs until her fingers came into contact with his semi erection and he loudly gasped.

"This is a bad idea…" He managed to breathe out, and he mentally went over all the bad things that could happen if they were to get caught -even though deep down he knew that there was no one around to actually catch them. Now, he had some idea as to how… kinky his boss was willing to get with him and he figured that she was right; he didn't know anything about her.

His breathing sped up, and he felt as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest when she inched her face closer to him. Without breaking their eye contact, she traced her lips over his belt buckle before easily unfastening it with her teeth.

Robin's hands found the seat handles and he leaned his head back with a shudder.

"Tell me… when was the last time someone did this to you?" Her hands slowly but gently crept up to his crotch as she started touching him through his jeans -which were starting to get a bit tight for him.

"Actually just a couple of months ago before you and I…"

"In a movie theater." She interrupted him, momentarily halting her movements.

"Oh… Never." He looked down at her and was surprised to see her lips curve into a victorious smile.

"Good." She said then palmed him through his pants. He gasped and she chuckled. "I'll be your first."

There was a rather surreal element to all that was happening which kept Robin from believing that what was unfolding before his eyes was actually real. A primal urge began to form deep down in his stomach and he parted his lips in anticipation, not tearing his gaze away from her for even one second. The movie in front of him kept its inexplicit pace but what was happening in front of him was now, way more exciting.

She unzipped his pants in agonizingly slow moves before reaching his boxers and caressing him through the flimsy material of it. Despite his brain short-circuiting, he performed a mental check as to which pair of boxers he had chosen to wear today. Looking down, he was suddenly glad to have chosen something gray and definitely not embarrassing like the ones decorated with Captain America.

Regina however, did not seem like she cared as to what sort of boxers awaited her. Instead, she had that predatory look on her face that Robin couldn't quite remember seeing before, which got him all the more excited. Licking her lips, she traced her fingers over the waistband before shuffling closer and finally bringing it down to completely bare him to her.

Then her other hand was instantly on him.

A shiver went down his spine as he desperately tried to contain himself. He watched as she licked her lips and shifted her gaze between his eyes and his erection which was standing proud just inches away from her.

Then, her tongue was on him.

_Oh my God._

She licked him, starting from the base to all the way to the tip and she stopped when he hissed in pleasure. His head fell back and his eyes fell closed. Not being able to utter a single syllable as he felt himself throbbing with anticipation, his teeth sank into his bottom lip and he waited… desperate, for her next move.

Upon seeing his reaction, Regina's lips curved into a victorious smile, and lucky for him, he realized she wasn't in the mood to make him wait. Instead, she brought one hand to the base as she kept the other on the band of his boxers, pulling the material even further down for better access. He breathed out and looked down. When their eyes met, she dove in.

Her lips were wet when they touched his skin as she placed open mouthed and hungry kisses to his side, occasionally stopping to suck and peck which drove him to the edge.

"God…" he managed to breathe out, coming to a realization that his lips were incapable of making any other sound. No, instead he was completely fixated on the woman before him who was busy throwing him thirsty glances as her lips danced around his member, teasing and taunting every inch.

Her tongue found his tip as she took him in her mouth; the unexpected warmth making him roll his head back into the seat as he desperately tried to control his breathing. It was hot, everything around him was hot and he struggled to breathe. She then teased her tongue around him before raising her eyes to meet his, never once breaking eye contact.

His hands fell back down to his thighs from the armrests as he looked down and watched her every single move. There was still some faint noise registering from the movie, but it was nothing compared to having Regina right between his legs and doing this right here with her unbeknownst to the rest of the occupants of the small movie theater. Every time a glimmer of coherent thought sneakily entered his mind, reminding him of the possibility of them getting caught and how unlike Regina this all was, he spotted the lust and need in her eyes and his train of thought dissolved into nothing in a second.

She wanted all of him and he didn't know what he did to deserve that.

Giving him one last lick, she slowly but gently took him into her mouth, inch by inch as he parted his lips in anticipation and watched. He could feel her slight moan, the vibrations tickling him in her mouth as her soft lips circled around his member and took him in. He leaned forward, lost somewhere in her intense gaze on him and her colored lips around his dick, as he came to an involuntary conclusion that he was a slave for her touch. At that moment, he was completely at her mercy, and he found himself to be even more turned on by that fact.

Once her lips hit the base, she paused for a few seconds before sliding her lips up and covering the moist skin she had just abandoned with her hand. Her saliva created the extra friction he needed when she moved her lips in sync with her hand, tightening her grip on him, her grasp just strong enough to drive him crazy. When her fingers slipped ever so lazily over his member and her lips circled around the tip once more to start sucking, he cursed under his breath and bit his lips.

"Regina… " He managed to breathe out her name, and upon hearing it, her lips curved into a brief smile. But then her lips were sliding down once more as she took him in her inviting mouth. Robin's hand went to his collar and he loosened it.

He wanted nothing more than to touch her, to revel in the feel of her do this to him rather than just watching but he didn't dare touch her as he sat hypnotized before her, too stunned to even breathe. He involuntarily parted his legs and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on his thighs before letting out a deep, throaty grunt that had him gasping. She then slid her lips down his hot, throbbing member and started sucking.

_Fuck._

Her tongue never stopped licking under him, finding a vein there and teasing it as she turned her palm horizontally around him, giving him a whole new kind of friction. Changing the rhythm, she slowed down when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, and sped up when he felt himself seconds away from grabbing her hand and pulling her right on his lap –public indecency be damned. Her breath was hot against him and his hand gripped his jeans even tighter, desperately needing something to hold on to.

When she let out another moan, this one longer and deeper than the previous one, Robin finally decided  _fuck it_  and he raised his head to see if anyone was looking. After a brief search of his surroundings and making sure that everyone was minding their own business, he scooted closer to her and she had no choice but to adjust to accommodate his closer proximity to her. He then, not being able to restrain himself, placed a hand on her neck, feeling the hot and sweaty skin there as he focused his attention once more to her lips around him.

He didn't know if he had felt the same with any other women before, but when she took him deeper in her mouth and her eyelids fell closed, he came to the conclusion that this was definitely the hottest thing he had witnessed in his entire life. She was lost in the moment, enjoying this exchange as much as he was and they both knew that even though she was the one on her knees, he was the one being controlled by her irresistible charms. He was putty in her hands, ready to do whatever she pleased, and when her short bangs fell in front of her beautiful face, he didn't think twice before reaching out with his free hand to ever so gently brush the hair from her face, thankful for the extra contact. She moaned at the action, quiet enough only for him to hear as she kept on licking and sucking, her hands never once leaving his skin.

Licking his lips, he watched her head bop up and down, realizing he wanted more of this, wanted more of whatever she was willing to offer him, and his thumb caressed the skin of her neck in a gentle and yet desperate way, silently communicating to her his needs. Moaning one more time, she let him go with a pop as she licked her lips and replaced her mouth with her hand, jerking him up and down. Her movements were much faster now, much more frantic as she gave him another sultry look before locking their gazes and lowering her lips on him again.

His grip on the side of her neck tightened when he felt himself entering the warmth of her mouth once more. He wasn't guiding her into anything; his fingers were just resting against her skin to feel her there with him, feeling her pulse thrum under his touch and enjoying the movements of her head as she teased and taunted him, making sure to maintain their eye contact.

Robin was already beginning to lose it but then she sank her mouth deep onto him, completely taking his cock past her inviting lips. Finally meeting the base, she let herself rest there without moving a muscle, Robin's sanity slipping away with every second that passed. Her teeth ever so slightly grazed the vein on him, and just as he felt himself begin to finally lose control, she gave him a thorough lick before speeding up.

That woman had him right between her teeth and she could do whatever she chose to him, and knowing that she had chosen to bestow pleasure upon him above everything else was enough to see her in a completely new light. However, before he had a chance to marvel over that mesmerizing fact, she started sucking even faster and stronger, causing him to suddenly shuffle in his seat and let out a loud moan.

"Oh…" His hips bucked under her and her hands shot to his thighs, pushing them down and holding him in his place. Robin was losing it, he could already feel himself dangerously close to climax and when she did that thing with her tongue once more, he involuntarily placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Regina…" he tried to speak breathlessly. "Wait..."

He was about to come and they had no napkins, nothing, and the last thing he wanted was to make a mess of this place –and undoubtedly get them caught. Though stopping herself was getting harder and harder, and he had already lost all coherent thought.

"Regina… I'm gonna…" He was not going to do this to her, he just wasn't.

Then she did something that surprised him; she lifted her gaze once more and held their eye contact before breathing in and giving him the slightest of nods, letting him know that whatever thought he had in his mind, she was giving him permission for it.

And he didn't have much say in the matter considering her lips refused to leave him and he had already lost all control.

"God, Regina…" Seconds later, he couldn't hold it and came exploding in her mouth, letting out a loud groan in the process. His hips bucked under her touch and his hands shook as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Her lips were still around him and he felt her take whatever he offered in her mouth, and when he was done, he opened his eyes to watch her lick him clean before meeting his gaze and swallowing…hard.

_Woah…_

His breathing slowed down and he realized that not only could he not break their eye contact, but he didn't want to. Regina was giving him a victorious smile, but he was way too focused on her lips and way too drained to notice her gloating right in front of him.

She was a true Goddess.

He let his hands take control as he leaned forward before pulling her up towards him. She came willingly, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on the back of his seat to support herself as he helped her to her feet. Though before she could fully stand up, one hand sneaked around her waist and pulled her to crash on top of him.

Then, he placed his other hand on her neck and united their lips.

He could feel her surprise when he kissed her, though she was quick to part her lips and grant him access. In a matter of seconds, her shock turned into affection and she melted in his arms, allowing him to kiss her thoroughly right there in the almost empty movie theater. He closed his eyes and tasted himself on her, adoring her even more in the process.

They parted slowly and Robin was far too hypnotized by the woman before him to realize the smirk her lips curved into. Letting out a giggle, she shook her head in amusement before finally standing straight and seating herself down next to him. She bit down on her lower lip and looked down, unaware of Robin watching her every move.

His hands went to button himself up -though he had little awareness of his actions. All he could think about was Regina and he tried to desperately wrap his mind around what had just taken place. Then he spoke.

"Regina…" he was breathless. "You just…"

"Blew your mind? Yes, I suppose I did." She let out a girly giggle and shrugged. "Among other things."


	19. Chapter 19

Will Scarlet made his way down the hallway.

It was his second favorite hallway; the first being the one where that pretty little Biology teacher's class was located. Belle French, her name was and it was appropriate to say that Will was smitten. Though today, her classroom was not his destination. No, he was headed over to August, his favorite physics teacher that just so happened to be free during lunch hours.

And his classroom happened to be situated right across from his other best friend, Robin who, Will remembered, gave them both a promise of a quiet lunch between hurried attempts at getting his students in the class before second bell rang.

Upon spotting August's classroom, he flashed a brief smile at Archie who happened to be walking down the hallway with the attitude of a man who had everything in his life sorted out. Will made a left, putting Archie out of his line of sight and August directly in it. The man with his two day old stubble, smirked upon seeing him.

"How was class?" August, standing up from his desk to gather up his paperwork. The classroom reeked of science and Will instantly felt himself growing uncomfortable. It had never been his favorite subject.

"Had them do the beep test today." He shrugged with a chuckle, leaning against the wall as he waited for his friend.

"Ooooh, that's so evil of you." August laughed. He attempted to balance both his lunch (which was composed of a left over burger) and his papers in one hand as he reached for his briefcase with the other.

"Yes, pretty sure I killed a couple of students. Hope  _Your Royal Highness_ won't be mad." He joked and August laughed along, knowing exactly who his friend was talking about.

"Haven't you heard? She's never  _not_ mad." He stuffed his papers in the briefcase before finally making his way over to his friend at a relaxed pace. "I hear she cut the budget for the spring production again. Boy, Robin's gonna be pissed!"

"Pissed?" his friend scoffed. "Haven't  _you_ heard? Our dooey-eyed schoolboy is never pissed at anything she does."

Both friends stepped out of the classroom and Will waited as August locked the door.

"Well, what can I say? Robin is Robin." Because yes, even though Will had known Robin the longest, it was safe to say that August knew him the best. They both had an understanding of life that Will never quite seemed to get. The younger man would laugh at him pining after Ms. Mills, and August would join along -but not without the knowing and emphatic smile of a man who knew exactly what his friend was going through… and who happened to spot the same look in the principal's eyes every now and then, if he was lucky.

They walked across the hall and made their way into their best friend's classroom with the promise of a lunch in mind. Upon stepping in the quiet room, they were both relieved to see their friend had not bailed out on them after all.

"Ready?"

Robin was startled by the sudden question and he raised his head in surprise. However, seeing his friends by the threshold, he shook his head before returning to the task in his hand.

"For what?" he asked nonchalantly. He put the first paper bag on his desk. He then moved some books out of the way and placed the second paper bag on the table. Right after, he took his briefcase and began clearing it out, hoping to find enough space in it. Then he paused. Maybe the briefcase wasn't necessary?

"Lunch." August replied. "The one you promised us."

"Oh, did I?"

"Yeah, mate. You did, like a couple of days ago." Will nodded, leaning against the doorway. His question filled eyes switched back and forth between Robin and August and the latter gave him a shrug.

"Oh well, I'm sorry about that." He put the briefcase away and tried to balance both paper bags in one hand. Then he reached for his favorite thermos that said 'I love Arizona' on it. The thing was as old as time itself.

"Why are you apologizing?" August spoke, though he already knew where the conversation was going.

"I can't make it."

"Oh come on, mate!" Will exclaimed, making both men jump in surprise. "We haven't seen you since forever, you keep ditching us!"

"True and…" August put a calming hand on Will's shoulder. "Why would that be?"

"I have some important business to attend to." Robin's words just floated in the air like it didn't even belong to him. He uttered them without any awareness for he was concentrating on the exact size-balance ratio of the paper bags and an old water bottle.

Maybe if he hadn't been too focused on an obsolete thermos, he would have noticed how August raised his eyebrows in curiosity and made his way over to his desk. Maybe then he would have been able to stop him before he could snatch one of the paper bags from his hand.

"Hey!" Robin put the thermos down.

However, August was quick to look inside.

"This is lunch?" he spoke in a confused tone. In a matter of seconds, Will was there beside him.

"A man's gotta eat." Robin attempted to re possess his food but August took a step back. He was way too distracted that once again, he didn't notice when Will took the other paper bag which was now laying on the desk.

"This is lunch too. Sandwiches." Will noted, turning to look at August.

Deciding that the situation was hopeless, Robin ceased his fruitless attempts and brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it in desperation. He let out a deep sigh before raising his head and glaring at his best friends. None of them held his gaze.

"Yes well, you have unraveled the big mystery. Congratulations." He placed both hands on his hip. "I was about to eat lunch… during lunchtime."

"I think the biggest mystery here would be… why  _two_  sandwiches?" August contemplated, with an aura of a great detective who had just discovered an important piece in a puzzle.

"I am on this new diet; lots of carbs, very  _little_  company. Now, can I have my lunches back please?"

"I think… I think this bastard here might be cheating on us!" Will exclaimed, once again startling both men. Robin sighed as if he was mad at himself for swallowing the bait. Will had always been a little feverish.

"But the question is, with  _whom_?"

"Jesus Christ..." Robin face palmed. After a moment, he checked his watch and made sure he wasn't running out of time.

Of course, it did not go unnoticed by August.

"I wouldn't want to keep Ms. Mills waiting too. She has hell of a temper."

At the mention of her name, Robin's face went white and he struggled to keep his breathing under control. Yes, he did hate lying to his friends but this was a situation that should have been kept an absolute secret. Now August, Robin had confidence in but as far as he could tell, Will's face was alright growing stupefied and it was only a matter of days until the whole school heard.

"Ms. Mills?!" Will felt betrayed, stabbed in the back. "What happened to bros before hoes?!"

"Did you just call our boss  _a hoe?"_  Robin raised his eyebrows menacingly.

"Misters before sisters?"

"I think that's the other way around." August answered.

"Right."

"Guys!" Robin interrupted the two middle-aged men who were nowhere near acting their ages, before the situation got out of hand. "As much as I appreciate you playing Sherlock Holmes, I really need to get going."

"Mate, you can't date her! I hear she gave that boy, Killian, weeks of detention!"

"And I hear Killian has been smoking in the backyard." He reasoned with Will.

With that he grabbed the lunches from their hands and walked out of the room despite the protests. Yes, he was well aware that he was going to be questioned later about all this but today, he had no time to argue.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Robin heard the faint sound of Will call after him so he quickened his steps and disappeared around the corner.

#

The paper bag landed on her desk so suddenly that the glasses resting loosely on the bridge of Regina's nose fell to the desk with a clatter. She frowned and looked up from her computer screen to face her intruder and sighed upon seeing him.

"You need to eat." Robin spoke -more like commanded- before sitting down on one of the chairs that were placed in front of her desk for wanted guests.

"What is this?"

He watched as she put her glasses back on again and reached for the paper bag he had worked so hard to snatch away from his friends. Her fingers danced around it as she threw him a suspicious look before opening it up only to close it right back up again with a grimace.

"You brought me lunch?" she asked tentatively.

"You need to eat." He repeated himself before leaning back into his chair. "You never eat."

"Of course I do." She scoffed, eyeing the bag suspiciously like it was some sort of an unknown creature lurking behind the shadows. "I ate breakfast just this morning."

"You're lying."

She pushed the lunch away as if she wanted to be as far from it as possible. Robin shook his head with frustration. Before he had a chance to ask one more time, she spoke up.

"And what's that?" She pointed at the thermos which he had just placed on the coffee table before him.

"Oh," he reached for it and placed it in front of her nonchalantly. "My mum made you apple tea."

Upon hearing his words, her face broke into a sly grin as she reached for the bottle and took off the lid.

"Is this code for  _you_ made me apple tea?" she mocked before gently blowing on the hot beverage and taking a small sip.

"If it's gonna help you eat, then yes." He looked up to her, guarding no shame whatsoever. His blue eyes sparkled in the sun that invaded the small office through the open blinds, and he watched her lick her lips before nodding and taking another sip.

The paper bag that housed his own sandwich rested peacefully on the table before him and he reached over to grab it, making sure to keep an eye on her in the meanwhile. She was nursing the hot beverage in her hand but her eyes were back on the computer screen again, the sandwich on the desk long forgotten. He couldn't help but frown a little as he picked up his own sandwich and took a healthy bite.

"How are the parents?" She asked after a beat, not tearing her focused gaze from the bright screen of her laptop.

"Tamed… so far."

His response earned him a chuckle from her, delivered without breaking concentration from her work. It made him think of all those times he would come storming into her office and she would have to put the screen down of her expensive laptop before leaning back and facing him with arms crossed in front of her. He compared that memory to the sight before him and realized how serene she looked now, and how domestic the scene before him was with those glasses perched on Regina's nose.

"Does that mean they are satisfied with the show we put on?"

"Why, do you want a second act?" He eyed her curiously as he watched her fingers dance over the keyboard.

"I think that show is already sold out."

"Boy, you suck at theater metaphors…" He gazed out the window. The weather seemed a lot better compared to the storm they had been through. It was as if the climate was finally beginning to calm down and make way for the constant humidity that was ever present in Maine.

"No, I believe I perform that act  _in_  the theater."

The line was delivered in such an ordinary fashion that it took him a moment to figure out exactly to what she was referring. Then the memories came flooding back, invading his mind like a general who had commanded a midnight attack. He was struck by it. The blood rushed up to his face and he had to look down to conceal the blush that now decorated his cheeks.

"About that…" he started, not knowing how to finish. It was the need to say something that had betrayed his silence. And how he hated mindless talking…

"What about it?" she asked; the question he knew she wouldn't have voiced if he hadn't have broached the topic. Well technically, she was at fault for that,but he was an accomplice considering his ability to not be able to keep his mouth shut.

"You didn't have to…"

"And yet I did."

His mind darted back to that very day, where she had kneeled before him and gave him something he would remember for the rest of his life. Her hair was soft between his fingers and her breath was hot on him. He let his mind wander to the rest of the evening, going through series of memories one by one before stopping at another pleasant one.

The one where she let him kiss her at her doorstep.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked, suddenly finding himself out of breath.

It took her a moment to fathom the meaning behind his words, but then she was smiling; the kind where it gave away her smugness and barely concealed her happiness.

"I'm… with you apparently."

"Great, we can go to-"

"How about…" she was quick to interrupt him. "…we stop going to places we don't know and you come over instead?"

"Come over?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "As in… to your place?"

"Why not?" she shrugged and took off her glasses. "Certainly better than your options, which so far have included spending the evening with your overly conservative parents and watching a porn parody in a movie theater."

"And you're saying you can beat those?" He laughed, and was glad to see her chuckle along.

"I can offer you a quiet evening." She rested both her elbows on her desk to throw him a sultry look which indicated that the evening was going to be far from it.

"God, I've missed those." And indeed he had. Before his parents pillaged his house, his evenings had been lonely yet peaceful. He remembered grading quizzes with a glass of wine as the faint sound coming from the TV served as the sole background. There was a love and hate relationship between him and solitude. He had enjoyed his quiet evenings and yet always found something to be missing.

"Then be at my place on Saturday."

"Will you be making pie?"

"Will you be bringing a bouquet of roses?" she challenged him. "Like you said you do… Every Saturday." She spoke in a mock tone, which had him grinning.

Her words brought him back to that very night they had spent at his place, giving everything they had for the performance of their lifetimes. He remembered how he mindlessly spoke of their fabricated escapades; the pie every Saturday, the roses, the quiet evenings spent together almost religiously every week. He wondered what kept them from rendering it real.

He opened his mouth to speak, to ensure her of the fact that he would keep his fictitious promise, but a knock on the door put a stop to their conversation.

"Miss Mills?"

"Yes, Mr. Hopper. Come on in." She cleared her throat and leaned back in her seat as if in a way to deny all sorts of affiliations with Robin. Her tone carried no evidence as to how she was just inviting one of her employees to come spend the night at her place. She was stoic whereas Robin's lips parted in surprise to the sudden interruption, almost like a puppy realizing his owner did in fact  _not_ throw the yellow ball. There was nothing to fetch.

Archie's entrance was rather a dull one. He sighed when he spoke, and Robin could tell this wasn't the first time he had stepped into her office, informing her of the repeated news.

"It's Killian, I caught him using his phone in class... again."

"I'll be right there."

And that would be his cue to leave…

He gathered his belongings before standing up and walking over to the door.

"I'll see you later, Miss Mills." He spoke up to his boss who did not bother to give him a reply back. However, as he walked past Archie who acknowledged him with a brief nod, he turned around to throw one last look at the principal.

She turned off her laptop, grabbed her jacket and absentmindedly her hands went to the paper bag in front of her. She pushed her hair back and took out the sandwich before taking a small bite of it, her eyes still searching her desk to see if everything was intact. Awareness did not seem to be present in her actions.

Robin smiled. Archie gazed at the two with confusion.

"Good luck, mate." Robin said with a chuckle before disappearing behind the door.

"Uhm, thanks." The red haired man answered.

Before he knew it, the principal was standing in front of him with her jacket on, ready to go.

"Shall we?"

He nodded and they both left her office.

#

"I'm dead."

"You're dead." Emma confirmed.

"I'm sooo dead."

"Deader than dead."

Killian was banging his head against the wall, hoping the pain will finally eliminate his irresponsible behavior. Every time his head came in contact with the rough surface, the blonde who had supported him through his all sorts of his escapades, was there to grab his arm and stop his actions.

"It's like…" she spoke before pulling at his arm. "You are not physically capable of being away from trouble."

"It finds  _me_." Killian wailed before bringing both his hands to cover his face. Archie Hopper had already dragged him to the detention room and now they were waiting in front of it for Miss Mills to come and make things official. He was downright scared to walk into that room again.

"Really? Cause I'm thinking you're chasing it."

"What the hell am I gonna do now?" It was safe to say that he was truly scared. He thought of the countless times his parents had warned him about what would happen if he were to end up in detention again. "Miss Mills is gonna send me to detention and then she's gonna expel me."

"She's not gonna expel you." Emma tried to reassure him but at that point, even she didn't believe her own words.

"You think?"

"Not really…" the blonde leaned against the wall and watched him. Truth to be told, a small part of her felt sorry for the boy… but only a small part.

"Killian Jones!"

"Shit."

Both students turned at the same time to face a very familiar sight; Miss Mills approaching them with angry steps and a killer attitude. Emma swallowed visibly and she had to remind herself that she was not the one at fault here.

"Miss. Mills, I am sooooo sorr-"

"Zip it."

The woman came to a firm stop in front of them, eyes flaring with anger. Killian was already beginning to feel himself shrink as he took a couple of steps back. His back met the wall behind him and he looked at anything but the woman's eyes. Shoes, yes, her shoes were a good place to look.

Even her five inch killer Louboutins looked angry…

"Why is it that every time I'm having a day which is even remotely calm,  _you_  are there to give me trouble?" she gritted her teeth and spoke with a low and threatening voice.

"I was just trying to call my mom-"

"You know cell phones are banned during class. I've got at least a hundred students in here who love their mothers more than you do and yet you are the one who gets caught with the phone!"

Killian was at a loss of words. Of course he wasn't calling his mother. He was calling his friends to arrange a long-awaited party for Saturday night. But he was pretty sure that answer would spike more fury in the woman before him who was truly about to lose it. So he did what he thought was smart and kept his silence.

"God…" She closed her eyes and breathed out. When she opened them back up again, Killian could tell she was trying very hard to compose herself. "In you go."

"But Miss Mills-" He turned around to glance at the door behind him with absolute terror.

"I said," she raised her voice and Killian jumped in surprise. "In you go!"

With that she took a few steps and opened the door to the detention room with so much hatred that he thought the poor piece of wood was about to break. Inside, August Booth, the assigned teacher to watch over detention for the day, stood up from his seat and welcomed them in.

"Ah Miss Mills," he walked over and held the door open as Killian sheepishly walked in. "What brings you to the land of peasants?"

Killian let out a silent chuckle but he instantly stopped when the principal threw him a death glare.

"Hilarious." She spoke, however her voice carried every bit of gravity indicating that it was indeed  _not_  hilarious, and such comments were not appreciated when problematic students had ruined her day. "Killian is going to stay here until he figures out the mistake in his behavior and the effects of his actions."

"Sure buddy, come on in and take a seat." Mr. Booth spoke. There was a reason he was Killian's favorite teacher after Mr. Locksley, and there was a reason he taught Physics I, not AP Physics like Miss Mills. "And how long would that be? One hour? One and a half?"

"Two hours."

"What!" Killian yelled from inside the room.

"Quiet!" Miss Mills spoke and Killian once again avoided eye contact. Then she addressed her colleague. "Let me know if anything goes wrong."

With that the door was closed and the room fell into a deep silence even though he and Mr. Booth weren't the only ones in there. That was the aura of the detention rooms; always eerily quiet.

"Take a seat, Killian." The teacher spoke before walking over to his desk. "And remember, no talking."

He nodded before turning around to glance at the room. There weren't many people, just a few poor, unfortunate souls who were unlucky enough to serve detention during lunch hours. There was of course Ruby, who sat real close to Mr. Booth and refused to take her eyes off of him with a dreamy smile. Every once in a while, the older man would look up to give her a polite smile and she would practically melt in her seat.

Next to her there was Victor who chose to do his homework in silence but Killian's eyes landed on someone much more interesting; Gold, who was sitting right in the corner with a book in his hands.

He walked over to the older boy with confident steps before plopping himself into the chair right next to his, bearing a goofy smile. Gold did not stir and kept his eyes focused on the book.

"The Art of Spinning Gold?" Killian bent down and read the title of the book. "Mate, you are weird."

"Hush, no talking!" Mr. Booth warned them without raising his head from his work.

"And what brings you here?" Gold whispered, his eyes still on the book, obviously not affected by his comment.

"I called a few friends in class, you?"

"Me? I don't know. This place has basically become home away from home, I don't even remember what I did anymore." The boy shrugged before turning the page. He looked awfully calm for someone who was in detention.

"Fair enough." He leaned back into his seat and watched the walls. He lasted around ten seconds before he started talking again. "Dude, we gotta do something about Miss Mills."

"Jesus…" Gold sighed. "We  _have been_  doing whatever you want about Miss Mills for the past couple of months. With this rate, I'm hoping the woman doesn't end up dead or something."

"Not like that, mate!" Killian frowned, obviously offended. Here he was, speaking for her best interest and his own friends blamed him for wanting to cause harm. "I'm just trying to make her happy… so she can stop handing out detention slips like it's a fucking brochure for Ivy League colleges."

"Well, ever since you started working on this plan, she seems to get gradually unhappy so… how about you stop?" Gold finally looked up from his book and spoke in an angry tone which had his voice raise a little.

"Boys!" Mr. Booth warned them once more and Killian instantly slouched in his seat.

"But I got a real good plan this time… you won't be able to resist it."

Gold's only answer was to exhale loud and clear before he turned the page.

"Hey…" Killian tried his chance one more time. "Psst!"

"What!"

"You know a good florist?"

#

It was a beautiful Thursday morning.

The city was slowly pulling itself through the snow storm. Outside was still chilly and the yards were covered with snow. The whole scene looked like it was shrouded by a white sheet and when the lunch break came, students enjoyed putting their coats on only to run to the yard and ruin the undisturbed layer of white with screams and laughs. But until the afternoon, outside looked beautiful and Mary Margaret enjoyed every bit of it.

"Ready to go?"

She instantly recognized the source of the voice and she turned around with a smile, coming face to face with David.

"Yes, let me get my books from my lockers." She turned around once more to fish out the AP Physics book which, she sometimes thought, was heavier than her whole bag pack itself. David instantly reached out to grab the book for her, and she thanked him in return. He was always such a gentleman.

"I hope Miss Mills is in a good mood today." She closed her locker and laced her fingers with David's. They both started walking to the direction of her class.

"I bet she is. It's only second period and nothing has happened today to piss her off." David shrugged.

"Nothing happened…  _yet_." Mary Margaret added and his boyfriend chuckled. It was their little routine; he would always find her after class and walk her to her next period without once letting go of her hand. Then, by the door, he would give her a long and amorous hug that would make everyone around them gag a little. He would hug her as if he was never going to see her again though they would meet right back up after 40 minutes, to head to their next class together.

Today was very much so the same… except for one thing.

When they finally turned around the corner and arrived at Miss Mills' classroom, Killian was there by the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him.

"What were you saying about 'nothing has happened today'?" Mary Margaret murmured before they came to stand right in front of the boy.

"What are you doing here, Killian?" David asked suspiciously, eyeing the boy from head to toe.

"Why mate, this is a school and I'm a student, so I reckon I'm just-"

"What are you doing in AP Physics classroom?" Mary Margaret interrupted him with a sigh.

"Yeah, your GPA couldn't handle this class." David agreed, chuckling.

However, Killian didn't seem to be paying attention. No, instead, his eyes were transfixed in the direction where Mary Margaret and David had come from. He seemed to be watching something… no,  _waiting_  for something was more like it. His eyes refused to leave the hallway and he didn't even turn to gaze at the couple while he spoke.

"I'm not here for the class."

"Yeah, we can tell." David said, following his gaze. He failed to spot anything and turned back to him. "Why are you here?"

"I got a little surprise for my favorite teacher." His body was there but his mind seemed to be somewhere else as he gazed long and hard at the hallway.

"Oh God, what did you do now?"

"Wait, David… Look."

Mary Margaret let go of her boyfriend's hand only to take a few steps inside the classroom. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. There, right on the teacher's desk, was a huge, pink bouquet of carnations that stood tall among Miss Mills' belongings. The flowers were too pretentious and too gigantic not to have been noticed. The whole scene felt like it was a part of a stage design of some ostentatious Vaudeville show.

"Holy shit!" was the only reaction that came from David. "Don't tell me… Don't tell me that you did this?"

"Aye mate, guilty as charged." He grinned, lifting his gaze momentarily off the hallway to look at his friends.

"Why though?" Mary Margaret asked in confusion.

"Told ya, they're for Miss Mills."

"So, let me get this straight." David turned around to face Killian once more though this time his suspicion had only grown. "No drugs, no locking her up into weird places, you just… bought her some flowers?"

"Wish you people believed me when I said I'm not actually trying to kill her." The boy spoke with a sigh.

"Really cause I distinctly remember you throwing a poisonous snake in her tent?" Mary Margaret frowned, not even once believing him. She crossed her arms in front of her and threw him a look that basically screamed for him to explain himself.

"Water under the bridge." Killian shrugged. "This is a different approach."

"Explain  _this_  then."

"My plan to lift her mood still stands. Just yesterday I got two hours of detention for something I didn't even do!" he lifted himself off of the wall and turned to his friends.

"Gold said you used your phone in class."

"Besides the point!" he interrupted them. "I am just trying to make her happy. I sent the flowers anonymously but I did attach a card that has a big, red heart on it. She'll think the flowers are from Mr. Locksley and she'll be happy for the rest of the day. Happy principal, no detention!"

"How do you know the flowers will make her happy?" David questioned.

"Of course it will. Flowers make everyone happy." Killian replied. Of course, he chose not to disclose the little fact that because he did not know where Miss Mills lived, and because he did not want the rest of the teachers to find out about his charade, the flowers stood tall in her classroom, not in her home or her office.

Yes, he had to admit the plan was a little messy but it was going to worth it. The next time he was caught, he was sure as hell that he was serving zero detention time. Yes, it was going to work perfectly.

"Oh God, here she comes!" Mary Margaret announced.

Both boys instantly followed Mary Margaret's gaze only to indeed spot Miss Mills making her way down the hallway with the flashy attitude of hers. The students who saw her ran around as if they were a bunch of cockroaches around a Queen and the teachers just walked quickly past her like they did not even want her to acknowledge their presence with her deadly stare. Her heels made the marble floor underneath her cry. The clacking sound could be heard from a thousand yards.

"Ready?" David whispered to Killian.

"Absolutely not," he whispered back. "Miss Mills! How wonderful to see you!"

She frowned when her eyes spotted the small crowd at the entrance of her classroom.

"Mr. Jones, what are you doing here?"

"I just… wanted to say hi to my favorite teacher?" Killian tried, though his sentence came out more like a question. However, he stood up straight and gave her a bright smile.

"Well, if I had known that you liked me so much, I would have scheduled you for AP Physics."

"Oh no, no,  _no_. There is no need for that." His eyes instantly widened at the offer before him.

"Very well, get back to your class before the bell rings." With that, she flashed a rare smile at Mary Margaret and David before making her way into the class.

"Watch and learn guys, watch and learn…" Killian wiggled his eyebrows with a chuckle as the trio watched their principal enter the class only to stop dead in her tracks and gasp.

"Wow…" She spoke and they watched as she took a few steps towards her desk to run her fingers over the flowers. "What's this?"

She turned around and scanned the whole classroom but she was met with various shrugs,  _'I don't know_ 's and a plenty of ' _It was there when we got here_ 's. Killian watched as she turned back to the bouquet and there was already a smile forming on her lips.

"See?!" He exclaimed in a shouting whisper. "See, how happy she is?"

David and Mary Margaret watched in confusion. Indeed, their always-furious-for-some-reason principal seemed to have a big smile on her lips as she searched the bouquet for a card, obviously impressed by the whole gesture.

"Can't believe you actually did it this time…" Mary Margaret addressed Killian as she closely watched her physics teacher. The older woman found the card and her smile instantly grew bigger.

"Yeah, I'm awesome like that." He chuckled as he watched the principal.

The trio was completely frozen in place that when Mary Margaret managed to shake herself out of the trance and looked up to see the danger walking towards them, they all jumped in surprise.

"Guys!" she spoke in horror as she held onto David's arm. "Mr. Locksley is coming this way!"

"What!"

"Shit, he can't!" Killian turned around and watched in horror.

"Why is he here? His classroom is in another hallway!" David tried to come up with an explanation.

"The only reason he'd be here is for Miss Mills." Mary Margaret spoke and with that they all turned to the woman in question -who still seemed to be overwhelmed over the flowers.

"She thinks the flowers are from Mr. Locksley!" Killian was visibly shaking. "If he walks in here, she's gonna find out they're not from him and we'll all be doomed!"

"Do something!"

"What?!"

"Dear Jesus, Mary and Joseph…" David closed his eyes.

"You're talking to the wrong people, mate." Though Killian had to admit, praying did not seem to be a bad idea at the moment.

"Stall him!" Mary Margaret whispered and because Killian had no other plan, he suddenly found himself jumping in front of Mr. Locksley like he was a bank robber and his English teacher was the vault.

"Mr. Locksley!" he yelled, awfully cheery. "What a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Killian, hi. How are you? It is a beautiful day indeed." the man answered but kept walking.

"So, what are you doing here on a beautiful day like this? Shouldn't you be outside… enjoying… the day?"

"I uhm…" Robin frowned before turning to look at his student who was obviously up to something. Hell, the boy was sweating. "I have to teach in a few minutes."

"Oh, that's a bummer!"

However, his efforts were futile. Robin Locksley hadn't even slowed down his pace. With adrenaline flowing through his veins, he tried his chance once more.

"Mr. Locksley, I got this assignment I need you to look at! Right now!"

"I'm busy, Killian." Robin switched his gaze from Killian to the papers in his hand. "Why don't you come to my classroom in lunch break?"

"But, Mr. Locksley!"

Though it was too late.

Everything happened like slow-motion. First Mr. Locksley walked into class and a faint " _Regina, I got those papers for you to sign…_ " died instantly in his throat when he came face to face with a bouquet of showy display. He stopped in his tracks and frowned, his gaze switching back and forth between the carnations and the principal. Then the rest, the trio had the fortune to eavesdrop…

"Oh…" was the first thing that came out of Mr. Locksley.

"Yes, how about those papers?" Miss Mills spoke from her seat with a gentle smile.

"You got flowers?" he stepped closer before addressing her, effectively shielding them from the rest of the class. However, the trio was right by the doorway to easily eavesdrop.

"Yeah, I did. Thank you."

"It wasn't from me."

"It wasn't?" she frowned but her confusion lasted only for a brief moment. Then, she was teasing. "Must be from a secret admirer then."

"A what? What secret admirer?" It was safe to say that the look on Mr. Locksley's face was one of a jealous and angry man. But more than that, he seemed genuinely hurt. Killian leaned against the doorway and face palmed… How was it that he had a way of ruining everything?

"You said you got papers for me to sign?" The principal responded nonchalantly.

The rest was a blur. He dropped the papers on her desk and after she signed them, he stormed out of the room without a second look at the trio. At that point, Killian was banging his head against the wall again.

"I screwed up, I screwed up, I screwed up…"

"Again," David mumbled, taking a step into the classroom before turning back to Killian and suggested; "Try not to do anything stupid in the next two hours."

Killian huffed as his friends went to their lesson. With the way his life was going, he made no promises…


	20. Chapter 20

Were flowers a bad concept? Absolutely not.

They signified love, harmony, unity,  _love,_  and every male in existence knew that when a woman was in any way even slightly pissed off, a nice bouquet arranged solely for their enjoyment could have the power to bring a slight smile to her lips. Well then, if there was absolutely nothing wrong with flowers, why was Robin in his class, about to break all the pencils in the room?

It seemed as if, along with his mood, the aura around him had also shifted into something much more tense. Whichever poor soul walked into the room, there was no doubt that they would be apologizing before scattering away, for all Robin's eyes focused on was the closed door in front of him, debating whether or not to get up and walk through it. A permenant frown decorated his face, and the red tint on his cheeks made him seem like he was blushing. However, the truth couldn't be farther away; Robin was sure there was smoke about to come out of his ears.

Was this anger directed at Regina? No. Well, a little bit… But the majority of it was concentrated on the anonymous bastard who sent the flowers in the first place.

However, that wasn't it…

Robin was also angry at  _himself_  for not having seen this coming. Because let's admit, just because he had the hots for his boss and took her to a horrible movie before exchanging a few stolen kisses by her doorstep, he could get her all to himself now. It didn't mean jackshit. It didn't mean that they were exclusive; it certainly didn't mean that she returned his feelings. But he was so focused, so overjoyed, that he didn't stop to think for one second that… she might still be seeing other people.

She had promised him that she would try, but she had never guaranteed him that she wasn't also trying with other people. And frankly, deep down, Robin knew he had no right to ask her for that guarantee; she was her own person, and he was nothing but a guy who was merely attracted to her. Yes, that part of his mind – the logical part- screamed at him that it was not his place to be angry. However another part of him that he failed to control, told him to get his ass up and go talk to her.

Well, it was easy to guess which he listened to…

And also the fact that he could hear her high heels clacking on the marble floor -indicating that she was indeed walking down the very hallway of Robin's classroom- had been also enough incentive. Before he knew it, he was leaving his seat and crossing the room in one swift move. His grip was tight on the knob and the door flung open as he stepped out to greet the principal who was busy walking down the hallway with a blackberry in hand.

"Regina?" He called out to her once she was a few feet away from him. She did not seem like she had the intention to stop for him, but she did slow down, fingers still busily working on the little device.

"Yes Robin, what can I do for you?" she switched her gaze from the Blackberry to him and then back to the phone as if she was in a hurry to go somewhere.

Okay, now was the time.

Now was the time to ask her about to flowers. It was only a minor issue anyway; surely it wasn't going to bother her.

_Who sent you the flowers? What does it mean? Are you seeing anyone else?_

"Regina, those flowe-"

But then the Blackberry in her hand started beeping angrily as if its sole purpose was to interrupt Robin's conversation. He instantly developed a hatred for technology. Besides… did anyone still use Blackberry phones?

"Oh, I'm sorry I have to take this." And she did indeed sound apologetic, which had Robin softening a little.

"Oh, sure…"

But his words had no use; she was already leaving his presence. He felt himself began to panic, and once she had her back turned to him, he called after her.

"Are we at least still on for tomorrow?" Because yes, tomorrow was Saturday and she had promised him a date at her place.

"Absolutely!" She yelled back to the empty hallway before answering the phone and ceasing all contact with him whatsoever.

#

Carnations?  _Pink_ carnations?

Really? Whoever the person who sent them had obviously lacked some serious taste, Robin thought. Carnations were for funerals, how dare he? Or she.. them.. they?

At least that's what was crossing Robin's mind as he busied himself with picking a massive, red bouquet of fresh roses from the most expensive florist in town. Not because he was competing with the anonymous teacher's pet – hah, as if! - but he somehow saw this as a way to show Regina that his love for her can  _out-flower_  the others. Of course, there was some sense of logic screaming against it from the back of his mind, a voice pointing out nothing good ever came from jealousy – but that he chose so carefully to avoid it.

He bought the flowers, occasionally took out a napkin from his jacket pocket to wipe the sweat off of his hands (since his stress was known to cause sweating), and drove to her house on a chilly Saturday night.

It was said that thinking while driving was sort of like being a drunk driver. One would never focus on the road; one's mind would always fly away to some other dream land where it kept busy with constant thinking, thinking and thinking. One could never focus on the road signs, never stay in the lane and ignore the other drivers. On this chilly yet beautiful Saturday night, if all that were to be true, then it was safe to say Robin was completely out of it.

The steering wheel beneath his hands was slippery with sweat, and he frowned at the road like he was trying to solve a complicated math problem. The flowers rested safely on the passenger seat right next to him as he kept on thinking, trying to find an explanation for it all. Did she know that she was getting flowers? Or had it been completely arbitrary? Who had sent them? What did it all mean? Were they still going to be as they had been before?

Yes, the questions that roared in his mind were long and complicated, but the drive to her house wasn't, and all of a sudden, he was in her driveway with the ignition turned off. Without the sound of the engine, he was left to fill the silence with his deep breaths and nervous sighs. With a shake of his head, he grabbed the flowers, pushed the anxiety deep back into his chest and walked out of the car.

Regina's house was certainly bigger than his.

While he was the proud owner of a small, one story house that stood modestly alone somewhere close by the school, hers was up the hill (a perfect correlation with her personality), next to the other fancy houses. It was a two story detached house with a beautiful and perfect white coat. It stood tall next to its neighbors and the garden was green and without flowers. However, a big tree compensated for the lack of vibrant color; a big apple tree with delicious-looking, bright red fruit that decorated the left wing of her garden welcomed the guests before they could step into the house.

He took in a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

After a beautiful melody, footsteps were heard coming from the inside and in a matter of few seconds, she was opening the door for him with a big smile.

"Hi, welc- Oh my God!" She stopped dead in her tracks when Robin practically shoved the giant bouquet right into her face. Well in his defense, he was too nervous to think.

"For you…" He mumbled under his breath and watched as she took the roses from him with a giggle, and lowering it a little so now he could finally see her face.

She had let her hair down and had a nice shade of lipstick on. It went well with her smile and it almost made Robin forgot the problem. Before he knew it, he was smiling alongside her.

"These are beautiful!" She spoke in a tone that he rarely heard. So flowers really did have a way with women. "Thank you so much! Now, I've got two!"

Ah, the problem was back again…

"Come on in."

With timid steps, he left the cold and walked into the warmth of her house that smelled distinctly like her. Closing the door behind him, he was faced with the delicious smell of… pie.

Yes, she was  _very_  good at making him forget the problem.

"You found the house okay?" she asked the minute she walked into the kitchen and started wandering around, in search for a vase. That's when Robin got to appreciate her as a whole.

Gone once again were her power suits. She had on a beautiful, grey colored cashmere sweater that was just a size too big for her. And this was also Robin's first time seeing her in leggings, so it was an understatement to say he was awestruck. He leaned against the doorway of her kitchen and watched as she walked around the room with the gigantic bouquet in hand -which was almost half her size.

"Robin?"

"Hm?" He was snapped out of his thoughts in a second. "Oh, let me help you out with that."

"I said did you find the house okay?" She repeated herself, all the while pulling a big vase from a bottom shelf. He took the flowers from her and nodded.

"I did. You've got a great place." Then he got mad at himself for delaying the subject.

He was supposed to ask her about the flowers. So why wasn't he?

"There we are." She placed the vase on the table and he took over the job of putting the roses in water.

Okay he could do this.

She was behind the counter now, occasionally checking the apple pie which was baking so deliciously in the oven. Robin had his back turned to her but every now and then he threw her stolen glances to see what she was doing. Maybe it wasn't the right time to ask her… But he was aware that if he didn't, he was going to explode.

It was an easy question.  _Who sent the flowers? Are you seeing other people?_

"So, Regina… About the other day," he started, not quite sure of himself. "I saw the flowe-"

"Oh those were beautiful, weren't they?!" She interrupted him with a cheerful tone.

"Yes, very… But who do you think sen-"

Then the oven beeped and Robin sighed in frustration. He set his jaw as he started tucking the roses into the vase more angrily.

"Oh, the pie is ready." She spoke. "Just like someone made me promise…" Then after a pause, she turned to look at him and shook her head with a giggle, pointing at his handiwork of roses. "You know, usually stems are cut in an angle and leaves are removed halfway so they wouldn't… Never mind, I'll re do it later. At least you're good at romantic gestures."

He immediately paused with roses in hand.

She was in a good mood? Why was she in a good mood? Was she really completely oblivious to what was going on? Because Robin was in complete pain and under a lot of stress.

"So Regina, I just wanted to say-"

"If you don't like this pie, I'm gonna smash your face in it." She spoke menacingly, and Robin turned around with a crooked smile to watch her take it carefully out of the oven.

"I'm sure I will." He took in a deep breath and started getting himself ready for another round.

Very gentle... Very polite... The problem was going to be solved before he knew it…

"Regina, so the flowe-"

"We should take some to your mom." She shrugged, setting the tray down on the counter before grabbing a small dish cloth and cleaning the stains of her previous work. The trail of flour was still present on the counter along with some cinnamon.

"Sure, we will. But before that, I really wanted to talk to you about-"

"I also need to give her the recipe 'cause she's been asking for it-"

"Will you just let me talk, damn it!" He suddenly yelled, and Regina jumped in surprise. "Are you fucking anyone else?!"

_Fuck._

It was one of those times when right after a word was uttered; one wished they could take it back…

Robin immediately closed his eyes and cringed at his spectacular eloquence.

"I…" he started but couldn't finish his sentence because an unexpected giggle interrupted it.

" _Fucking_  anyone else?" She laughed and Robin instantly felt relief. She was laughing, meaning she wasn't seeing anyone, right? Right? "Yes, 'cause I occasionally like to give oral to my employees in public places."

Or she was laughing because she wasn't taking him seriously…

"Actually…"

"Can't believe how ridiculous this question is…"

She leaned against the counter, facing him, and her soft giggles -which were slowly dying down- filled the silence between them. But when she was done shaking her head with amusement, Robin watched her look up to meet his eyes. He swallowed, and deciding he was not ready for her fierce gaze upon him, looked down in shame. Because he really  _was_  asking this question and he demanded an answer.

When their eyes met for half a second, her expression changed too.

"You're serious…" She concluded, taken aback. Her eyebrows rose in surprise and she leaned back slightly as if she was only now realizing the gravity of his question. He immediately wished he could take it back.

"Regina, I…" He started a sentence he knew he couldn't finish.

"No, don't." she scoffed in disbelief before throwing the cloth on the counter with a deep sigh.

He took in a deep breath before hiding his face behind his hand as he rubbed his forehead. A deep remorse surrounded him and he bit down on his lip, wishing there was a magic trick to take it all back. He didn't dare to look up and face her, for now he understood what he had truly meant. The lack of trust he expressed, and the fact he blamed her for it… It all made him suddenly fill with self-hatred.

He didn't dare to speak, instead waited for her. Even if he did, he wouldn't know what to say. The man who had a way with words, was now at a loss of them.

However, he would soon realize that he didn't have to speak as Regina was now uncrossing her arms and slowly making her way to him. When she came to stop in front of him, he raised his head and saw the hurt in her eyes. There was also something else present in her brown orbs that surprised him the most; determination.

Then her expression softened and she raised both hands to cradle his face. He sucked in a breath and let her guide him. She brought him closer to her and let her lips linger just inches away from his own before capturing them in the softest of kisses. He was frozen to react and she did not deepen it. Seconds later, the sweet kiss -the kind that would normally get him to think all about her for the rest of the day- was over and she was stepping away from his personal space.

"Hope this answers your question…" She replied with a broken voice before shaking her head in disbelief and leaving the kitchen.

Then the gravity of what he had done hit him in the face.

"Regina!"

He followed her to her living room, heart pounding in his chest.

"Regina, wait!" He caught her arm and she let herself turn to him. Her limb felt weak in his grasp. "I'm so sorry, that was a stupid thing to say."

"Yes, it was." She nodded pulling her arm away from him.

"It's just that… You're too beautiful to only have one man after you." He chuckled, desperately trying to soften it up because in reality, he had no idea what to do. All he knew was that she was upset and it was his fault. Desperation filled him up and he silently prayed.

"I don't. I have many men after me." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Does that mean I am having a relationship with them all?"

"So you mean, this is a relationship?" He was suddenly filled with hope but she was quick to crash it down.

"Apparently not since it lacks trust." She raised her voice and now she was the one making him jump. "You go on and on about how we should give this a chance and the minute I say yes, you decide that I'm not someone you can have faith in because I'm fucking everyone who sends me flowers? Is that really what you think of me?"

"No, absolutely not." He was stuttering now, desperately trying to find something to say and somehow make it all okay. "I panicked, I didn't know what to think."

"You got scared and decided to blame me." She yelled and he could hear her voice trembling. "And when it comes to those flowers, I don't know who sent them. I was just teasing you back in class. I thought you'd see the amusing side. "

"Of course, I am so sorry. I am an absolute dick."

"Yes, you are."

"I will make it up to you. How can I make it up to you?" He was afraid to take on step towards her and a part of him was scared shitless that she was going to ask him to leave.

But there was something in her face; an expression he couldn't quite place. She didn't look like she was about to kick him out, but she didn't seem pleased with the situation either. Instead her expression was of a complex one and she squinted her eyes at him before gesturing towards the kitchen with her chin.

"Set the table for me, will you?"

And he was on it like a hawk.

He nodded before hurrying back into the kitchen, too nervous to even notice the house or how it was decorated. It was his first time there but he hadn't paid attention to anything else besides her. He also found himself to be extra productive when he was under pressure so it was safe to say the table was ready in a mere minute or two.

"Regina, please…" He spoke absentmindedly as he placed the forks on the table and at that point he wasn't even expecting an answer from her. She had gone back into the kitchen and was currently busy giving him the silent treatment. "I admit I was wrong."

He looked up this time from his boring task of placing the knives exactly parallel to the forks, and saw her nod in approval -though she didn't utter a single word. Deciding that it was still progress, he kept going without even planning what to say.

"It's what I do, you know. I overthink, then I make myself believe some things that are not actually there… I doubt myself, and in the meantime doubt you when in fact, deep down I know I shouldn't." His gaze was back on metal cutlery once more and he moved them just an inch so they aligned perfectly with the plate. "I never should doubt you, 'cause I know how lucky I am to have you."

He looked up once more. No reaction. She stabbed a knife into the pie and started cutting a piece in a way that made him wary of her advances. For a second, he imagined his liver taking the place of the dessert and he quickly shook off the thought with terror.

"'Cause I  _am_  a lucky guy." Now the glasses did not seem perfect, so he leaned over and made sure they were parallel to the cutlery. "I remind myself of it every day. I am so lucky that you even considered the possibility of  _us,_  because I sure as hell didn't think you would be up to it."

Then he saw her frown and immediately changed his course.

"Not that you're not great at it… I mean  _great at relationships_ considering your past and uhm…"

The frown turned into a deep sigh. He panicked.

"But of course  _not_  in that way because of how.. how amazing you are and uhm.. all the stuff you do and the things…"

His endless ramblings were interrupted when Regina suddenly dropped the tray of pie on the dining table, startling him in the process. When he looked up, she had both palms on the table supporting herself and she was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Are you quite finished?" Regina asked, and threw him a look that said it was more of an order than a question.

"I think so." He gulped, because frankly he had no idea where he was going with all that ramble anyway. It was one of those moments where one talked on and on in order to fill in the silence that felt centuries long.

She nodded in approval before lifting her hands off the table and slowly walking over to him. His anticipation grew with each step she took and when she was finally standing in front of him, she lifted her hands up to smooth the wrinkles on his green polo shirt.

"Did your father dress you?" Regina asked, raising one eyebrow in amusement. Her hands on his chest felt like electricity, but he was thankful for the close proximity.

"You don't like the shirt?"

"I can't say I'm a fan, no…" She pulled away and he involuntarily took a small step towards her.

"Does this mean you're not mad?"

"At the shirt?"

"At me." He clarified with a small smirk. She mirrored it and hope grew stronger in his chest.

"I'm not mad." There was certainty in her voice that gave him relief. So he found the power within himself to take another short step so that he now towered over her. She looked up to meet his gaze.

"Well then… Thank you for the pie." He spoke without breaking eye contact and tactfully moved his body to the side so that she was subconsciously guided into being trapped between him and the table.

"Thank you for the roses." She sucked in a breath and he watched her lips move. His right hand found the edge of the table.

He could tell that anticipation was getting her excited. He could see it in her eyes, how she pushed her chest towards him (shame she wasn't wearing a low cut shirt) and how she parted her lips in expectation. The occupied or nervous Regina would not stop fidgeting, but the aroused Regina could not find the power within herself to move an inch. She kept still, giving Robin a million possibilities of how to act out his next move. He chose the one he would have most fun with.

"You smell delicious." He whispered with a husky tone. His hands crept from the table to trace soothing lines on her waist. She exhaled as if she was trying to calm herself.

"Must be the cooking." She shrugged but the tremble in her voice betrayed her anticipation. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can't wait to… eat it up."

Her gaze instantly flickered down to her own body and when she met his gaze again, he was actively trying to keep himself from throwing her a full blown grin. It was amazing how much effect he had on her with just a few words.

"The pie, I mean…" He instantly clarified, and she made a quick sound of disappointment.

"Oh. Right…" she sighed.

"What did you think I meant?"

Suddenly she frowned and put a gentle hand on his chest before playfully pushing him away. She shook her head with a giggle and looked down.

"You're playing me."

" _You_  are the master of games, not me." Both of his hands went up in a defensive state as if he didn't even know what the word 'playing' meant.

"Be careful what you wish for."

"I think it might be a little late for that." Because he had already made his wish; it was standing right in front of him and he had no desire to change it. Every little playful look she threw at his way ignited fires in him.

"Just…" she gestured the table. "Eat it up, like you promised."

"I did, and I intend to keep it."

Why did it feel like they were talking about everything but the pie?

#

Regina's house was nowhere near like his.

His place was stuffed with books, personal items and it was by all means messy. There were books piled up on the coffee table, some even on the floor, there were dirty wine glasses (all his, from different nights) left around the house. Stacks of papers rested right next to the TV, partially blocking the view, and the house was filled with pictures; of his family, the general family portrait, a picture of his brother, a black and white photo of his dad taken when he was young, hell, there was even a small picture of him and his ex-wife Marian. His house was filled with memories and reminders of his past. One would walk around the house, and the first arbitrary item stumbled upon could be anything from an antique vase to his grandfather's pocket watch -and Robin would have a story to tell about each one of those items.

That was unfortunately not the case with Regina's place.

It reeked of isolation. Everything was in place, each of her belongings were in order. The place was so clean that it was almost impossible to tell that anyone was living in it. It was mostly decorated in monotone (unlike his neutral, brown cave) and each décor was a perfect representation of simplicity. There were no extra objects, nothing that was forgotten on the coffee table, no random books scattered on the floor (actually, did her bookcase even have any novels besides the scientific journals?). There was one photo, only one, and that stood modestly on the plain shelf next to the bookcase; a picture of an older woman.

"Your mum?" he asked, gesturing the wine glass towards the photo (why wasn't he surprised that the only alcoholic beverage she stored in the house was white wine?). The woman was what he guessed to be in her 50s –but then again, he was terrible at guessing people's ages- and the only word that could be used to describe her was… regal? With gorgeous brown hair in a simple up-do, small eyes and defined cheekbones, she was a mystery. For starters, she looked cold, and Robin came to the realization that he wasn't able to look at the photo for more than 10 seconds. He averted his gaze and watched Regina enter the living room with a wine glass in hand.

There was a scowl on her face that was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Yes." She nodded. Robin waited for her to continue but she stayed silent and opted to look at the picture with a concentrated gaze.

"How about your dad? Is he still around?" Robin paused the moment he asked. Was he stepping over an invisible line?

She snapped out of her trance, and Robin could tell she was thankful for the interruption.

"Yes, but he is usually busy with work, haven't seen him in years." She shrugged, and took a sip. They were both looking at the picture now. "My mother gave me this framed photo as a birthday gift, she doesn't approve when I don't  _showcase_  it for the guests."

"The guest being me?" He chuckled and brought the glass to his lips as he eyed her quietly.

She nodded before throwing a look at him. "She wouldn't approve of you either."

That comment made Robin freeze in his tracks but she was already leaving his side to settle on the couch. He raised his hand and parted his lips in surprise before following her.

"Whoa hold up," he walked over to her but she was already reaching for the remote to turn on the TV. "Is that something we need to talk about?"

"No."

"Why wouldn't she approve?"

She leaned back into the cushion with a sigh. Robin watched in confusion as she pulled up a coaster and settled the glass on the coffee table in front of her. He felt himself getting worried with each passing second. His mind flashed to his parents and how much they adored Regina.

"She is…" Regina started with a low tone and he sat down next to her with one leg under him so he was facing her. "…difficult.

"You are difficult too but everyone has a soft spot." He raised his eyebrows with a smile, hoping to lighten to mood but the only thing he achieved was a forced smile.

"I am nothing like my mother." She shook her head. "I am tough, she is… demanding."

"Demanding how?"

"She expects a lot, and takes it out on everyone else when she doesn't get it. She wants the impossible and raised me to be successful. According to her, I should have been a head surgeon or a CEO of a company like my father." She reached for her glass and took a big sip; big enough to have him worried. Her fingers tapped on the glass and she focused her gaze on it. "So when I chose to be a teacher, least to say she was not happy."

"But you are not just  _any_  teacher, you are the principal." Though he was finally beginning to understand the pressure she was under.

"Not good enough for her." She shrugged and took another sip. Clearly talking about it was making her more nervous with each passing second.

"Alright, let's see what's on TV."

His change of topic was quick but timely considering the sudden shift in her demeanor. She leaned back into the cushions and crossed her legs before setting the wine glass down on the table. The change was obvious, even from every breath she took. Content, Robin fell back to the couch with her.

"Frankly I was surprised to see that you even owned a TV." Robin spoke after a beat, and when he saw her give him a confused look, he elaborated hoping to lift her mood. "Didn't think you were capable of anything fun."

"If you're surprised with this, wait till you see the pool table downstairs."

"There's a pool table?!" His eyes widened but when he turned to look at her, he was faced with a stone cold expression of every day Regina. "There is no pool table, is there…?"

"There isn't even a  _downstairs_." She replied, shaking her head but hiding a small smile.

"Too bad cause when you said a pool table… my mind sort of wondered elsewhere…" He winked at her before grabbing the remote and started changing the channels mindlessly.

"Only  _you_  can think of anything but the game of pool when someone mentions a pool table." She rolled her eyes.

There was a beat of silence.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Robin asked, his voice coming out lower than he had intended.

"That hardly ever happens." She snorted and reached for her glass. Realizing it was empty, she made a move to get up.

"Don't bother, I'll get it."

Dropping the remote on her lap, he stood up before hastily making his way to the kitchen. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually received a tour of her house. So far, he had only been familiar with the living room and the kitchen; which still smelt like her cooking. When he had first stepped into the house, his mind was far too occupied with the possibility of losing her that he hadn't really paid much attention to where she lived. And that reminded him…

"Hey so," he yelled from the kitchen as he picked up the nearly full bottle of expensive wine before making his way back to the living room. He could hear the TV from where he stood. "I am really sorry about earlier."

She raised her head to watch him enter the living room. Her expression instantly softened. "I told you, it's fine. I'm not mad."

"I know you're not."

He sat down next to her, and put the bottle on the table, but before she could reach for it, he gently grabbed her arm, guiding it back to her lap. He let his fingers linger on her wrist. Her attention was already on him, they both ignored the TV which provided a comfortable background noise. It sucked out the stress in the room.

"I just… I felt like I was obligated to clarify because I was scared." he confessed with an exhale, eyes fixed on her hands which were sitting peacefully on her lap. Frankly, he wasn't even sure if this was the right time to broach the topic. He eyed the wine bottle. Maybe it would come in handy…

"Scared of what?" Regina asked and he could feel her inch a little closer to him.

"You said you were going to try, but we never discussed what  _this_  is or where this is going. You seem like you're enjoying your time with me, and I sure as hell am with you." He chuckled and was glad to see her do the same. Then he took a deep breath, and spoke up. "The thought of you actually seeing other people, still going on dates freaked me out more than it should have."

"No, you're right…"

"Am I?" He raised his eyebrows and clarified when she threw him a look. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to hearing you say those words."

"I mean, I overreacted too. After all, we never really specified what  _this_  is… If we are exclusive or not…"

His heart skipped a beat in his chest. He had started this conversation in the hopes of telling her how  _he_ felt but here she was, talking about the nature of their relationship. His hand found her wrist again and he dared to ask.

"Are we?"

She sucked in a deep breath and Robin watched her every move. His heart was pounding in his chest and he tried to work out the answer from the way she gazed at him. He felt himself tense up along with her and the sound of TV faded into nothing. His eyes dropped down to her lips.

He held his breath. Then she let out a giggle.

"I'm sorry but you should just see the look you're giving me right now. It's perfect."

The stress flew out the window and Robin felt his muscles relax as he fell back into the couch with a chuckle. Regina's shoulder's shook as she let out a deep laugh along with him. Suddenly the anxiety was gone and he was finally getting his head together.

"It's not like I can't see it in you too…" Robin countered and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Me? I never!"

"Oh I've seen the way you look at me whenever I come into your office." He chuckled, and decided to take it up a notch. Her body was already positioned towards him and she had her elbow on the back of the couch. If he mirrored her, they would be holding hands. Though he didn't, not yet at least. "Tell me you don't get wet every time you see me."

The words rolled off his tongue and were met by a full blown laughter.

"You must confuse arousal with irritation," she challenged him. She uncrossed her legs and brought one knee to rest on the couch, barely touching his thigh.

"I'm guessing it's both." He questioned her. "Isn't it?"

"What are you implying? That I enjoy getting irritated?" She inched closer to him and whispered the last part as if she was mocking his theory. "That I'm some sort of  _masochist_?"

"Aren't you?" And Robin could tell this was the exact point where the conversation had slipped from hypothetical into a possible reality. Because, thinking back, he remembered how she was like with him.

"Care to elaborate on that?" her lips curled into a grin and she bit her lip. Jokes were pushed aside and now Robin felt as if he was trying to get a secret out of her that she was already willing to share… but not without an awful lot of teasing.

"I wouldn't say you enjoy irritation." He spoke and she nodded. It encouraged him to keep going. "But something a bit… harsher perhaps?"

"What do you have in mind?" her voice came out hoarse and she practically encouraged him to indulge her.

"I don't know, you tell me. I'm still trying to read you."

His words changed the way she looked at him. All of a sudden her eyes sparkled and she threw him a smile that hid secrets.

"You really wanna try?"

"Yes."

He had no idea what he had just agreed to…

But whatever it was, he could tell she was already excited. The TV was forgotten, their previous conversation about the state of their relationship –no matter how serious and necessary it had been- was also long gone. All that was left was her happiness and his anticipation.

"I'll be right back." With that she stood up and walked out, leaving him to his thoughts.

His hand went to the alcohol as reflex and he instantly wished it to be something stronger. His eyes turned to the TV but his gaze was blank. They were showing a re-run of Mad Men. He wondered if Regina was into that. But on second thought, he didn't exactly know what she was into. Would she watch the news like regular people did? If he were to spend an evening with her, were they going to cuddle up on the couch and watch CNN? Or was she into something more different, something people weren't used to?

Was he going to be surprised? And most importantly, how well was he going to accommodate?

Or maybe they both liked the same show. Maybe they both liked Mad Men, but when no one was looking she preferred… Hannibal?

He was downing his second glass of wine –after having poured one for her- when he heard her come back in. She had her hands behind her back and was wearing a mischievous grin that warned him to prepare himself for what was to come. Sitting up straight, he watched as she took her place on the couch right next to him and raised her eyebrows.

Then she took a deep breath and revealed what was in her hand.

A deck of cards.

Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Is that your secret?... Blackjack?" he chuckled, clearly amused. Out of all the things he expected her to bring, this one had never crossed his mind.

"Poker." She corrected him.

"It better be Strip Poker then."

"It's not."

"Well…" he was utterly confused. Or maybe she was a gambler? "You lost me."

"This game…" she started, and switched into a more comfortable position in front of him, encouraging him to do so. She then started shuffling the cards. "…involves a whole set of different rules."

"I'm listening." He moved backwards a little so they would have space between them on the couch to play the game. He did a quick mental check to see if he still remembered how to play. The last time he even touched a deck of cards was with Will and he was pretty sure both of them were drunk. He eyed the bottle one more time.

"Whoever loses a hand," she spoke with a smile. "…will be punished."

"Punished how?" he rested his elbow on the back of the couch as he watched her shuffle the cards. For a second, he enjoyed the possibility of her sending him to detention.

"The winner will decide the punishment." She put the deck in the middle of them and gestured him to cut. "It can be anything."

"Anything?" he raised his eyebrows, cut the deck and handed it back to her.

" _Anything._ "

The game was taking an unexpected turn, and it hadn't even started yet.

He nodded and got ready. Least to say, he was filled with anticipation; he didn't know what kind of a game this was going to be. He didn't know the extent of the punishments and for some reason, he just couldn't wait to find out. His eyes wandered over her delicate fingers which were busy shuffling the cards. Seconds later she stopped and started dealing.

"Next time we do this, let me know so I can bring August and Will." He suggested with a grin before placing a hand on the five cards given to him. "The more the merrier."

"Trust me, after you're through with this game, you're not gonna want them around." Her voice dropped low as she picked up her cards.

Robin gazed at his hand; two kings, an ace, seven and eight. He looked up at her to see her expression but it was stone cold.

"What's the pot?"

"Do you have your wallet?" she raised her eyebrows at him challengingly and he chuckled before drawing the requested object from his back pocket. Regina reached over to the coffee table and opened the drawer attached to it, finding her own fairly quickly.

"Alright, check." She started.

"Fine…" Now he had no idea about the tone of this game. It did not feel like they were gambling, but it also felt like it was his most stressful game. There was no green table, no chips, there weren't even four people present. It was just him against her but he felt like winning would be in his best interest. "I bet you… a dime."

She scoffed and Robin put the coin in the middle.

"I raise." Her hand found her wallet and she put twenty cents into the pot. Maybe she had a good hand?

"I call." Yes, a pair was not a good hand but he would hate to fold under the smirk she had been throwing at him.

He threw a good, hard look at his hand. Seven and eight, could he get a straight with that? But that would mean giving up his pair and it would be a huge risk. From the corner of his eye, he tried to glance at Regina but she was not giving anything away. She was seated in front of him, with her legs crossed under her as she refused to tear her gaze away from her hand. Those leggings did wonders to her legs…

Alright, Robin, focus.

With a sigh, he discarded three of his cards and kept the pair. Regina only gave up two.

His new hand had another king in it and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from grinning. Three of a kind, he could do something with that.

"I raise." He said boldly and threw a quarter to the pot. She gave him an impressed look.

She could always fold. His mind instantly flew over to the possibilities.

"Call." She responded.

First hand was over and Robin's gaze switched back and forth between his cards and her expression. She hadn't raised the last hand so maybe… she had a weak hand? Or maybe she was just an expert when it came to bluffing? Robin was betting on the latter.

They looked at each other and Robin was to first to reveal.

"Three of a kind." He said proudly, placing the kings in front of her so she could get a good look.

She nodded in understanding. There was no disappointment in her eyes, no shock, no happiness, she just nodded which made Robin all the more nervous.

Then she revealed her hand.

"Full house." She drew out the words with a sultry smile and Robin groaned from his seat. Three queens and a pair of aces…

"Alright, your majesty." He reached for his glass. "Your wish is my command."

Regina's lips curved into a victorious smile. He could tell that she had already her plan picked out.

"What's the punishment?" Robin asked with a chuckle. "No more late budget reports? Attending meetings regularly? Or is it a demotion?"

"I want you to… chug that bottle." She reached over to the wine bottle and handed it to him with a daring expression.

"What.. the whole bottle?"

No way.

"Yes."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk." He warily took the bottle from her hand and watched as she stood up and went to the kitchen to retrieve more.

"That's cause I am!" she shouted over from the hallway before appearing by the door with a new bottle in hand. "So you can lose."

So this game wasn't going to last long…

"We'll see about that."

#

It was around two hands later when he heard the drunk Regina.

Yes, drunk Regina –or tipsy Regina in their case- had a whole list of tells. For starters, her voice was a little higher and laughing came easily to her. Her arms and legs were relaxed and he realized she was not trying to control her actions. There was no sign of that part of her where she would pause before acting on her thoughts, no, it was pure, and unaltered reflection of her mind in her actions. So if she felt like laughing, she did, and every time she made sure it was a damn feminine one.

The second hand, he had won and asked her to do the same with the next bottle. She had groaned first, telling him repetitive punishments were not allowed but he had managed to talk his way around it. So she had did what she was told, spilling it everywhere in the process since chugging a whole bottle of alcohol was not an easy task. It had got them both laughing nonetheless and a few minutes later, the mess had her taking off the sweater to continue the rest of the game with a flimsy white t-shirt she had worn underneath. The weather outside was cold but with the help of alcohol, the inside had plenty of warmth.

Next hand she had won with a flush and her request had been simple.

"Take off that disgusting shirt."

Yes, maybe a green polo shirt was not the sexiest thing in existence, but it didn't stop him from throwing an offended look at her.

"That's my favorite shirt."

"Do I look like I care?"

She did not.

"You just wanna see me naked." Robin teased her but he was already setting his glass on the table.

"I took off mine, you take off yours." She reasoned him with a carefree giggle.

"That's not fair, you were wearing a t-shirt. I've got nothing underneath."

"Good." She raised her eyebrows and for a moment he wondered why they were even playing this game. Then he realized how much she enjoyed flirting with him.

With a sigh, he reached for his shirt and took it off in one swift move. The chilly air instantly hit him in the chest but he found himself not minding it at all. It sobered him up just enough to catch her staring at him with parted lips and hungry eyes. However, Regina had an impeccable social etiquette even when she was tipsy, and so she carefully lifted her eyes off of him before throwing him a knowing smirk.

"Enjoying the show?" He couldn't help but tease.

"Quite."

"Good, cause I'm gonna ask you the same next time you lose." He replied, and glanced at his new hand she had just dealt.

"You can't ask me the same thing again. Besides, who says you'll win?" she grabbed her own cards.

"My amazing hand." He challenged her without breaking eye contact. Because frankly, he didn't need to. He already knew he had a crappy hand.

She paused and tried to read his expression. Her eyes devoured him and she switched her gaze from his eyes to his lips. Then her attention was back on her cards again and she threw him a suspicious look.

"You're bluffing."

"Yes, I am."

"You're double bluffing."

"And you're drunk." He chuckled and set down his cards on the couch. He really did not need to be looking at them. 7 and 9 of spades, King of diamonds, 2 and an ace of hearts. What was he going to do with that?

"Getting there." She nodded and called his bet. After a beat he raised the pot and she threw him another look.

"Call or fold." He shrugged.

She smiled and he noticed how her gaze fell back on his bare chest before travelling to his arms and back to the cards again. Maybe she wanted to lose.

"I…" she swallowed and bit her lower lip. Then she pushed her chest forward and dropped her cards. "Fold."

"Good girl." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

She reached for her glass and took a big sip. He watched her every move. What to do with all that? Not that he didn't have plans, because  _God_  he did… The possibilities danced around his mind. And for some reason, he was sure that she was willing to do whatever he pleased. The thought excited him to death. The only question he had now was to how long he wanted to drag this out and how much she enjoyed flirting.

"What do you want to do?" he asked her, just to see what she thought about it all.

"What do you want me to do?" she deflected back to him with a sultry smile. Her eyelashes fluttered in mock innocence and he chuckled at her playfulness.

"Tell you what," he spoke confidently. Good thing about being a literary major was he got to play around with words and turn the situation into whatever direction he wanted it to go. "I want you to pick something that you normally would never let me do."

She chuckled and leaned sideways to the back of the couch, facing him. Wine glass was still in hand.

"Oh, you  _are_ good."

He gave her a mock bow from where he was sitting and threw her an expectant look. He then proceeded to watch her every move.

She giggled first as though she was actually self-conscious about the position she was inadvertently put in. It was her game and now she was being played against. Her fingers danced around the glass for a while and she looked around the room for clues. Then her eyes met his again and she raised her eyebrows in question as if she was confirming what was actually being asked of her. He nodded; she giggled again and evaded his gaze.

After a beat of silence, she leaned over, set the glass down on the table after taking one huge sip.

"Listen up, Romeo." She lifted herself to her knees. "You utter a word of this to any one of your second-rate teacher friends, I'll have your head on a block."

"Nice try Marie Antoinette, but this is the 21st century; guillotines don't exist anymore."

"I mean it." She warned him with her finger between them.

"I promise I won't say anything to my  _second-rate teacher friends_." He repeated her earlier words with emphasis on the little insult she had slipped in there regarding the company he kept.

"Good, now lean back."

He did what he was told with a kind of anticipation that he wouldn't normally experience day to day life. This kind felt like it proceeded a once in a lifetime event, and Robin was certain he was going to make the best of it.

Regina exhaled slowly, and raised herself to her knees. Then she took in a deep breath, eyes flickered over to him for a second and she lay across his lap; face down. Her torso rested on his legs and her head reached just past the armrest so she faced the ground. Robin now had the pleasure of staring at her back, lower waist and well… ass.

She was literally lying across his lap.

"This, I did  _not_  expect," he managed to mutter with wide eyes.

"You have my divine permission," she spoke with a confident voice.

"To do what?"

She groaned. There were ideas already crossing Robin's mind but frankly he was too overwhelmed to actually consider them. His hands came to rest naturally on her waist, careful not to slip them any lower as he sat, transfixed on the parts of her he knew he shouldn't have.

"God, do I have to tell you everything…"

Her hand blindly found his on her back and she did exactly what he was avoiding; she guided his hand lower until it rested on the swell of her ass. He sucked in a breath and she giggled.

"You're kidding?!"

"I don't think I am in a…  _position_  to kid right now."

"Oh my God, Regina…" He breathed out, but no, he was far too gone. He was busy appreciating what his hand was resting on, and he dared to move his fingers across her bottom to relish the feeling. Her leggings were stretched tight and he let himself give it a gentle squeeze before opening his mouth to speak. "Are you sure?"

"Don't be gentle." Was her only reply.

Robin had spent years being married. Then he spent at least another couple of years going through various one night stands. But he could honestly say he had never experienced such intimate and sensual moment with anyone before. Having  _her_ , having Regina in that position felt better than being inside of the tightest girl. Not being able to help himself, he gave it another squeeze and instantly felt himself getting harder.

His fingers were itching to do what she expected him to do, and in that moment, with the help of some alcohol, he found it in himself to not ask any more questions, and do what Regina had asked. He just hoped to God that come tomorrow morning, he'd be sober enough to remember all of it.

"I am getting old here…" she complained.

Then, he raised his hand and spanked her.

"Ah!" She squirmed under his touched and her legs buckled at the sudden force.

"Too much?" his question immediately followed his actions, because no matter how tipsy he was, he still cared about this woman lying over him who was allowing him to do this.

"Too soft." She supported herself on his knees and turned her head just enough to give him a sultry smile. He chuckled.

"I knew you were into something sort of like this." He gave her a smug smirk before letting his fingers dance around her ass. He spent a moment admiring the perfect shape and then he spent another moment thanking God for leggings. And knowing Regina, she had definitely been working out to achieve this kind of perfection.

"What gave me away?"

"That night, at my place." He said then lifted his fingers off of her to bring his hand down on her bottom with such force that this time, her whole body twitched under him. She made no noise. "You specifically asked for something…dare I say,  _harsher._ "

"I remember that." She giggled and held onto his knees, bracing herself for the next one.

He bit his lower lip and spanked her perfectly round ass once more, though this one was much softer.

"Who can forget?" he asked. "Also, I can tell you have a thing for…aggression."

"Hmm…" she allowed herself to draw out the conversation. Robin could tell that not only was she enjoying the spanking, but also how his hands travelled around her body. "I'm listening."

"You're always eager to get into fights with me." Both of his hands came to her ass and he let himself enjoy a couple of seconds looking at it before hitting her across the cheeks again, with much force.

"Aah!" she squealed under his hands and kicked her legs, causing her sweater to ride up a little to expose her back. His eyes instantly went to her skin… so did his hands.

"That's because you're annoying." Her voice came out strained and it excited him even further.

"But you like it." His right hand stayed on the bare skin of her lower back and his left hand went to hit her once more, making sure this time it was gentle again. He liked to switch up his tempo to avoid her getting hurt –more hurt than she could handle anyway. "I have also noticed that you don't seem to be affected by pain at all."

"It does affect me." She tried to argue but her voice came out breathless. Robin was enjoying every second of it.

"Yes but in a different way. Human beings tend to avoid pain, you seem to seek it." With that he brought his hand down on her ass so hard that he managed to draw out an actual scream from her. For a millisecond he wondered if he had actually hurt her, but the scream was instantly followed by a moan and she clutched her hands around his legs.

"My point exactly…" he spoke again.

"If you talk about this to anyone…"

"Never dream of it." With that, he slipped his fingers under the waistband of her leggings and brought the material down all the way to her lower legs. When her ass was completely bared to him with the dark purple underwear rode up all the way up to create the perfect view, he groaned in desire before allowing himself one more slap.

She did not complain, and did not comment on the fact that he had basically taken off her leggings. The skin was an angry pink and it took everything in Robin to keep himself from lowering himself and planting his lips on her. But he didn't, he stuck to caressing it instead before giving it one last squeeze and pulling the leggings back to their proper place.

He gave her a gentle pat on the waist, indicating he was done.

"Enjoyed your punishment?" Robin asked once she managed to gather herself up. In agonizingly slow moves, she lifted herself off of him before sitting back on her knees on the couch next to him. The little maneuver was enough to make her wince. He gave her a proud smirk.

"You are  _so_  going down."

"Bring it."


	21. Chapter 21

He let out a laugh, though he did not know why.

Outside, the snow had turned into rain; the slushy kind that would constantly flicker between pouring rain and drizzling snow. Beyond the windows, it seemed so very cold and that was precisely what made the inside feel extra warm.

It was either that or the wine that Robin was once again reaching for -having lost track of how many glasses he had downed.

The TV still insisted on providing them with mindless sound which they kept in the background. Some music channel was switched on, playing a song Robin had heard here and there. Was it playing the day they had their first date in that small coffee shop? Or was he confusing that with the sound of rain which got heavier each passing second. The droplets hit the glass and it made him instinctively slide closer to her on the couch.

He let out another laugh but this time he recognized the reason. He was laughing at her laughing at him. Every time her lips curled upwards and she giggled, it made him mirror her actions; joy spreading within him each time. The room that seemed cold and dead to him just hours ago was now cozy and warm, it made his jeans feel tight and despite the fact that he was shirtless, he still refused to feel cold.

Oh… He was shirtless.

Regina had made him take it off a few rounds earlier, making him play the entire game with his chest bared to her which she ogled shamelessly from time to time. She still had her shirt and leggings on and she seemed comfortable enough to sit with crossed legs, holding the wine glass in one hand and the cards in the other.

"Feel like losing yet?" Suddenly came her rich, feminine voice that sounded even deeper that particular night. Was it the alcohol or the change in their environment? He did not know.

"Coming from the woman who was lying face-down-ass-up across my lap a few minutes ago." He snarked, eyeing his hand. His King of Spades stared proudly back at him and he smiled.

"Still won't forget, huh?" She answered with a proud smirk and took a sip. "I'll raise you… another dollar."

"No, I'm afraid I'll be thinking about it for a long while." He sat up straight, not allowing his body to slump even a little bit when he was sitting half naked right in front of her. "Call."

He tossed a bill to the pot and looked back up to her. She had a certain flush in her cheeks that he knew was not from make-up. Regina chose to wear darker shades of blush, whereas this time, her complexion had a slight pink tint to it. It suited her, brought out the young woman in her. He briefly wondered what young Regina had been like.

"What happens when you lose?" She supported her elbow on the back of the couch and threw him a flirty look. "Ever thought of that?"

"Only every second since this game started." He shrugged. "But that doesn't mean I don't have  _remarkable_  plans for you." He stretched out the word and winked at her right after, and the fact that she let out a quick gasp before instantly focusing back on her cards did not go unnoticed. A smug smile formed on his lips.

"Ready?" she muttered, before taking another sip. Was this their second or third bottle?

"Whenever you are, m'lady."

Both of them lowered their cards until they were sitting in front them, unguarded. Regina had a three of a kind. Too bad for her, he had a flush.

"How…" she muttered, eyebrows raised in surprise. She was losing second time in a row. "Are you counting or something?"

"The cards, no." he chuckled and bit his lip before throwing her a playful look. "Number of times you lose before smash that bottle on my head, yes."

She eyed the bottle. He saw it and gently reached over to remove it from within her reach. She threw him a clever look.

"Alright,  _thief,_ " she tossed the cards towards him in a defeated state. She took a sip from her wine before placing it back on the coffee table. "What do you want?"

" _Thief?_ " He let out a chuckle. "Now, that's new."

"You stole the hand!" Regina stated matter of factly. Robin pretended not to notice how her eyes shifted to his chest every once in a while. It seemed as though she couldn't help herself.

"Just the hand? Or can I also add  _your heart_ to my prized possessions?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and was glad to see her scoff before letting out a giggle.

"My heart?" she asked incredulously. "Do they teach you to be cheesy in grad school or does it just come naturally?"

"I don't see you denying it."

She brushed her hair back and shifted in her seat with a gentle smile playing on her lips. "I said, what do you want?"

"Well…" He tossed the cards aside, mirroring her earlier actions, then he lowered his gaze to his own bare chest, glad to see her following suit. He gestured to his partial nudity with his hand. "Do you see this?"

"It's difficult not to," she quipped, biting her lip.

"I want payback."

She lowered her gaze to eye her own clothes then she widened her eyes in surprise. "You can't repeat the punishments."

"I know," he swallowed and threw her a challenging look. "That's why I want what's inside."

"Inside what?"

He smirked before moving closer to her on the couch. His jean clad knee touched her upper leg and she took in a sharp breath. The only thing between them now was the pot filled with coins and a few one dollar bills. His fingers gently took a hold of the edge of her shirt.

"This."

Her parted lips curled into a devious smile and she leaned forward, just enough to whisper her next sentence. "Since we're acting like 16 year olds, are you gonna spin that bottle over there and ask me to kiss you next?"

"Kissing me wouldn't be a punishment, it would be a reward." When she didn't move his hand, he let his fingers shift inside her shirt and trail over to her bare back. She drew in another breath.

"You think too highly of yourself."

"Shouldn't I?" His hand found the clasp of her bra. Their lips were inches apart and he could smell the wine and arousal on her. He was now beginning to understand why she liked games this much.

She let herself lean forward. Was it, he thought, was it actually possible to hear her heart beat? Or was that just his?

"You  _should_  go ahead and do what you're about to do."

With one quick move, her bra was unclasped. He could feel her shiver. With a smile, he pulled back and let her take care of the rest of the business while he reached for his glass.

"Free the sisters!" He yelled mockingly.

"I'm gonna pretend you did  _not_  just say that." She rolled her eyes as she carefully maneuvered her bra under her shirt before taking it off and throwing it at him.

The piece of garment hit him square in the chest and he caught it before it had a chance to land on the couch. He held it between his fingers as he set his glass down and examined the nude colored modest looking material.

"That's very… teacher-like." Then his hands shifted around it. It was a push-up. He smiled.

"That's cause I  _am_  a teacher." She responded matter of factly.

"Can I keep this?" He joked. Then he happened to finally look up and face the unforgettable sight of Regina wearing a thin t-shirt without a bra on. Yes, getting rid of it had been a good idea and now her chest seemed, though a little flatter, provocative with the shirt loosely clinging to the curves of her breasts, just enough of a tantalizing glimpse to get him curious.

"Go ahead, a little souvenir from me." She winked at him before reaching for the cards. "I'll deal."

"Na-ah!" He grabbed the deck before she could touch it. Frowning, she threw him a confused look. "You're not done."

"What do you mean?"

Their eyes met; his carried a hint of mischief and hers were just puzzled. He had her just where he wanted her, and he just knew that this night was going to be one of those where he'd look back to a few years from now and still remember every detail of it -whether she was by his side or not. He just hoped for the former.

His gaze moved slowly downward and it came to a halt at her crotch. Milliseconds later, he was looking back up at her with a hungry gaze.

"Oh…" She raised her eyebrows and breathed out as if she just figured out some important secret about him. Then she shook her head as thought she was actually impressed by him. "I guess you're better at this game than I thought you'd be."

"Underestimating me has become a habit of yours."

"Well, can you blame me? You're incapable of handing over attendance lists in time."

"Two entirely different fields." He reached over to his glass and took a sip.

"What? Department management and sex?"

He choked on his drink. Guess, he was still not used to her articulating that word.

"The guy who just asked me to take my panties off gets flustered by the word 'sex'. How adorable." She chuckled before uncrossing her legs and raising herself on her knees so she was towering over him with an amused smile.

"Hey, I don't, I-"

But she was already leaving the couch and tiptoeing out the room, leaving contagious giggles behind her. He leaned back into the couch with a pleasant smile and realized he was still smiling even after she was gone. Suddenly silence fell around him and he sat, transfixed at the TV before him, still showing some forgotten music channel. His head was buzzing and anticipation was building up in him with each passing second.

She came back a minute later, hiding something behind her back. Coming to stop in front of him with a devious smile, she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Do you have something for me?" Robin chuckled. She looked especially stunning from that angle. He was seconds away from reaching out with one hand to bring her down to his lap.

"Merry Christmas." She giggled and revealed a pair of matching panties, again with the color of nude. They landed on his lap and he grabbed them with the excitement of a kid getting presents, Merry Christmas indeed.

"Thank you, m'lady." He examined the thong in his hand before turning over to her. "Now, I have the matching collection."

"I'm sure it'll look great on you," she quipped, and in a childish display of immaturity Robin stuck out his tongue. "If you do that again I'll bite it."

Robin smirked. "I'll remember that for later."

"I wonder what I'm getting in return for this…" she mused with a sigh before claiming her seat back on the couch next to him. Her hand reached for the deck of cards.

"Good company and exquisite wine?" he replied and she scoffed. Then his gaze shifted over to her body as he licked his lips. "So, how does it feel?"

She paused and looked up at him to catch his gaze wandering over her body. Then her lips curled into a sultry smile and she leaned back, before stretching her legs onto the coffee table like a cat enjoying the few moments of peace right after waking up. Except, of course, it was his gaze that she was enjoying.

"Good, better." Both sets of eyes went to her toned legs stretched out in front of them. Her black leggings made them look even slimmer. "Makes it all sensitive down there."

His eyes were watching her, he couldn't help it. His mind refused to stop thinking about how she was sitting right in front of him… sans underwear. Every time she moved, he imagined what it felt like for her to rub against the material of her leggings, or how did it feel for her to be sitting right next to him like that.

She did not seem shy at all instead it felt as though she was enjoying the spotlight, enjoying how his hungry gaze travelled over her body to finally land on her chocolate colored eyes. He saw fire in them and sparks between their bodies. His gaze flickered back to her body one last time. Then swallowing hard, he reached for his glass to distract himself and force his head to get back in their little poker game.

There was lipstick stain around the rim of her glass. He didn't recall seeing her with make up on His eyes went to her lips. She was wearing a nude color.

"Ready?" she asked.

"For you, always."

#

"What time is it?"

"A little after eleven," Regina answered before pouring him another glass of white wine. His eyes watched her slender fingers dance around the bottle as she let the clear liquid drop seductively into the glass before pushing it gently towards him. She didn't forget to pour one for herself.

They had been playing this game for a long time now and Robin realized he only remembered to ask the time because outside the sky was pitch black and her windows rattled every time a particular strong wind hit the neighborhood. Spring was showing its face late as if an old and forgotten relative's arrival to a party. And what made this winter especially unforgettable was how cold the weather would get as soon as sun hid behind the mountains.

"Are you planning on winning anytime soon?" Robin asked, reaching for the cards.

She leaned back with a sigh before eyeing his wine glass. "Drink your drink, darling."

How is it, he thought, how is it that she managed to look even more stunning as the night progressed? There was not a single drop of exhaustion present in her features and she seemed to laugh more with each passing second. Happiness was radiating from her and he was ready and willing to suck it all in.

He dealt the cards, but she didn't bother to pick them up. Instead, she pulled one leg closer to her body on the sofa as the other danged freely from the side as she gave him a seductive, almost mysterious look as though she already knew what was in her hand.

A royal flush would suit her, He thought, then he smiled at the idea. She was nothing less than royal. He wondered if she would do well as a Queen of an unforgotten land.

"Self-confident, I see." He remarked before putting the cards aside and picking up his hand. "Not even bothering to see what you have."

"I don't need to." But contrary to her words; she reached out her hand and peeked at the cards. "You're tipsy and I'm-

"Not tipsy?" Robin chuckled and eyed the abandoned empty bottles of wine on the coffee table.

"You're lousy at bluffing. I will win."

"Will you?" He then glanced down. Not even a pair… then he regretted his question.

"Watch me."

_I have been. For a long time._

They raised the pot, respectfully. Robin could feel himself slowly but surely falling into one of her devious plans. He could tell from the way she looked at him and refused to pick her cards up. Her confidence was through the roof so much as she refused to tear her gaze away from his eyes. He felt himself warming up despite his state of undress.

"Three," he said, and exchanged the said amount of cards with the ones in the deck, in the hopes of getting something out of it, anything, he thought. But an ace of hearts, Queen of spades and a 3 of clubs stared at him right in the face. He barely kept himself from sighing in desperation. She was right; bluffing had never been his strongest suit.

They spent another round adding to the pot; Regina raising whenever she had the chance and Robin calling to whatever she offered. From the way she held his gaze and let her fingers dance around her kneecap, he knew that folding wasn't even an option. It was either that or…

"All in." Regina said before he had a chance to.

What other option he had besides calling?

In a rather sluggish pace, he pushed the rest of the cash into the pot with hesitation present in his eyes. He was like a man going to battle with the knowledge that his enemy's army outnumbered his. Except this was more dangerous; where in history had a general sent out his soldiers to die because he looked straight into his adversary's beautiful brown eyes?

"Scared?" Regina asked as she slurred her words.

"No." He lied. She laughed at it.

He gave her the pleasure of watching him reveal his cards first. Because he preferred to see the expression on her face whether she won or lost. She acted like the former, a small part of him wanted to believe in the latter.

His hand laid flat on the couch and he raised his eyebrows at her, gauging her reaction.

"Why didn't you fold?" Regina asked the second she saw his fallen hand.

"I couldn't dare to." Robin answered honestly.

She shrugged, a small gesture conveying that there was nothing she could do about it. After a scoff, she sighed and reached over to turn her cards around.

He watched intently as she revealed a straight flush, all composed of diamonds.

His heart skipped a beat. He couldn't even wait for her reaction, instead his mind instantly jumped to wonder what would her punishment be? Though unwilling to admit it, deep down curiosity filled him up. And as he was overwhelmed with anticipation, he threw her an expectant look.

Her eyes found the loot but he could tell it was the least of her worries. Her actual winnings lied in the punishment she was about to deal him.

Then she rose to her knees before leaning towards him.

"At least try to pretend you won't enjoy it." She spoke after a beat upon seeing his obvious excitement.

"Depends on what you're prepared to do."

"Something that…" She inched closer until a mere whisper was enough for him to hear her. "…you'll  _very much_  enjoy."

Then her hands found his belt.

Robin took in a deep breath the minute he felt her touch. His mind instantly darted back to that day in the movie theater. The look she had on her face now was very much alike to the one she wore in the dark then. However, before he had a chance to let his imagination wonder even further, she yanked his belt and started taking it off.

That's when he realized, she was more interested in the belt itself.

"Regina, you-" he started but she didn't let him finish. Instead, he got interrupted when her free hand found both his wrists and she brought them together before wrapping the belt around them.

"Oh…" Robin whispered. She opted on staying silent except for the occasional giggle which came out low and sultry.

When his wrists were pressed together and the belt was circled three times around them, holding both his limbs securely in place, she buckled it back up. He could feel the tightness and the material pressing on his skin. When she was done, she pulled back and gazed at her work.

"You seem proud." He noted before testing the bondage. No, it was impossible to pull his hands apart. He was tied up.

"I am." She sat back down on her knees with a smile she failed to contain. "You finally look… tamed."

"Really?  _That_ 's the word you wanna use?"

She nodded gleefully before reaching for the cards.

"Wait," he stopped her.

"I'm listening." She reached for her glass.

"You don't actually expect me to play like this, do you?" He raised his hands as though reminding her of his current situation. As if she wasn't fully aware of his predicament…

"I'm afraid I do." She started dealing, showing no further signs that she intended to listen him complain.

"Oh.. you  _are_  cruel."

"Tell me something I don't know."

However, she would soon come to regret her words when Robin got a hold of his first cards and immediately noticed them to be of the same suit; all spades. He barely stopped himself from smiling. Yes, he might have been lousy at bluffing, but he figured he could at least show her his best poker face.

They both called to what was already in the pot, none of them daring to raise it any further. It was in Robin's best interest. God forbid she had a full house, then he didn't even want to imagine what she was prepared to do. Frankly, he didn't even know if he could handle it.

It was difficult enough to play poker with Regina, but now that his hands were all tied, it made it all the more more challenging. Whenever he had to hold his cards up, he had to use both his hands, and given that he was slightly tipsy, it made it even more difficult not to let her see his cards.

Luckily they didn't have to be at school the next day, so going to bed late was not even something that concerned them. But then he wondered if he was even going to go home that night. And his parents were curious people, there was a possibility of them calling at any moment.

"What time do you usually go to bed?" he asked, completely ignoring how he was sitting on his boss' couch, shirtless with his hands tied together with his own belt. No, it was not ridiculous at all.

"It changes." She cleared her throat and leaned back. "Why, do you want to go to bed?"

"That depends on the bed."

She didn't answer; instead, bit her lip before drawing two more cards from the deck.

Robin felt himself relaxing even more as the night progressed. His half naked body, practically laid bare to her hungry gaze was warmed up by the anticipation the night brought. Caught up in the game, he managed to draw another card from the deck. The once easy tasks were now hard with his hands tied together.

He barely managed to keep himself from smiling when he laid his eyes on his newly gained card, perfect for completing a set destined to bring her down.

Her face didn't mirror his overly enthusiastic one and that raised his hopes for her having a failing hand. Part of him expected her to fold but another part of him knew that she wasn't one to back down from a challenge, especially concerning her subordinates.

She muttered a few words, congratulating him on his efforts to bluff. He knew she was too smart to buy it. So in return, he congratulated her on her impeccable observation skills.

"Thank you," she said. "You're easy to read."

Her cards were set down willingly, as she was proud to display her hand to him. He leaned over hyperbolically to take a long, hard look, making her giggle in the process. Upon hearing the delicate sound, he raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Straight?" He remarked, looking back down at her hand composed only of cards that followed each other. It was not a bad hand, but it was also not the best.

She nodded and reached for her drink.

"Did you know," he started, and watched as she directed her attention from the glass to him. He got lost a little when he was faced with her beautiful eyes that took his breath away each time they met his, but he gathered his thoughts back again to continue with the story. "…that each one of the suits in a pack of cards represents the four major pillars of society back in Middle Ages."

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Clubs represent the working class, the peasants; lower class who dealt with agriculture. Diamonds represent the merchants, the bourgeoisie." He watched her watch him and smiled. "Spades stand for military."

"And hearts?"

"Hearts… hearts represent the clergy and," he slowly laid his cards on the sofa, revealing a flush composed of the exact suit he was talking about, "…aristocracy."

Her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise as she was faced with the hand that beat her. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, instead of a smug one, he was giving her a warm smile. Though she should have known deep down, it was the smile that represented the calm before storm.

"There is a motto written in old French on the early version of cards." He added with a sultry gaze.

"What is it?"

"Woman's heart deceives the world." Never once he tore his gaze away from her.

She gasped and he could see traces of a blush creeping up her cheeks. Then she bit back her smile and returned to the game. A loss awaited her.

She nodded slowly and he was glad to see that she was one to obey, especially when it came down to her own rules.

"It shouldn't be difficult for you to pick a punishment." She huffed and placed her elbow on the back of the couch, resting her head on her hand. She eyed him up and down, and he chuckled.

"You must think I'm so eager."

"Aren't you?"

"The game was your idea, m'lady." He mirrored her posture. "I am merely helping you enforce the rules… the rules  _you_  set I might add."

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you do that at work," she countered.

"Well, at work I don't get to see you do  _this_."

"What?" Regina asked cautiously.

He bit down on his lower lip, her eyes were instantly drawn to it. He then patted his knee. "Come here."

She did pause, but it wasn't hesitation in her eyes. From the way she pushed her chest forward and bit her lip, he knew it was excitement. His hungry gaze watched as she took one last sip from her wine, lips slightly catching on the rim of her glass before reaching over to slowly place her drink on the table. Her long limbs stretched out like a feline, and it wasn't long before her eyes were on him.

She raised herself on her knees before asking him the sexiest question of his life. "Across or on your lap?"

"The latter… unless you want to be spanked again." He swallowed and was glad to see her throw him a sly look.

"Some other time maybe," she drawled as she inched closer to him. "But right now, I want to know how this feels."

With that she placed her hands on his shoulders and straddled him.

It felt good, really good. Warmth enveloped him and he urged to put his hands on either side of her thighs but the belt around his wrists stopped him. So he had no choice but to let his tied hands get trapped between their bodies as she scooted closer to him on his lap. He was nestled between her thighs and that's when he swallowed hard and met her eyes. His hands in between her breasts reminded him that she was braless and the wetness between her thighs reminded him that she had taken off her panties.

He sighed. "Don't you think it's time for you to set me free?"

Her eyes went to his tied wrists in between her breasts which were now pressed up against his chest. Robin felt incredibly under control and he could tell she was amused.

"But where's the fun in that?" she purred and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Untie me and I'll show you where the fun is." He looked up to her. She sat an inch higher than him on his lap.

"Is that a promise?"

"You bet." He growled. There were mere inches between their faces but Robin was focused more on feeling her than closing the gap.

She slowly brought her hands down from her neck and unbuckled the belt. The minute he felt his bond loosen around his wrists, he quickly pulled his hands apart and threw the belt carelessly on the ground before bringing his arms around her body. He pulled her to him and she came willingly before letting their chests finally collide.

"God…" Robin grunted once her wetness sat directly on his erection. Her head was bent towards him and he let their foreheads touch.

"That feels good…" she breathed out before once again wrapping her arms around his neck. The air was intoxicating around them. She was so close that every breath she exhaled, he inhaled it, wrapping them both in world that belonged only to them. He let himself forget everything else and become aware of her only. Her voice, her scent, her touch and her lips -which were hovering just inches away from his.

"Let me kiss you." Was it still begging if the woman he worshipped was ever so slowly grinding herself against him?

"Tell me where," she ordered, rubbing her nose to his. His lips grazed over hers and she breathed him in.

His hand left her thigh and went to her cheek. He let his fingers dance across her smirk which were already moist from a swipe of her tongue. "Your lips."

"Which ones?" She let out a giggle. It took the breath out of him.

He bit his lip before tearing his gaze away from her eyes to look past her. He stared at the coffee table. They had drained the bottles dry but there was still a little wine left in her glass. His eyes found hers again, about to ask permission for what he was about to do.

"Would you…" he murmured, letting his lips trail over her jaw. "Would you mind if I ruined your rug?"

She gasped and hummed under his touch. Her fingers danced around at the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine as she managed. "I'm taking it to the cleaners tomorrow."

"Perfect, I'll drive you," he replied quickly under his breath and barely saw her nod before he cupped her ass with one hand and pulled her closer to him. The table was close. So with her clinging to his body, he leaned over and hurled the empty bottles away, sending all of them to the ground with a loud crash before pushing her onto the coffee table. She yelped and let out a giggle, her hands already searching for him. He was knelt on the ground, positioning himself right between her knees.

"Comfortable, m'lady?" He looked up and was glad to see the natural pink flush on her cheeks. It looked better than make up.

She scooted closer to him on the table, leaning back a little and placing both palms on the surface to support herself. "Are you?"

He nodded and returned his gaze back to her thighs. "I thought we were supposed to be  _punishing_  you, not pleasuring."

"You seem to be more eager on the latter." Her voice was husky, rained down with the aura of the night.

"I would…" he breathed out against her inner thigh which was still covered with leggings. "…love to…" he inched closer to her core and placed a soft kiss on her leg, "watch you come."

"But first," She lowered her hand down to his arm before pulling him up. He was crouching between her knees and he went up willingly, supporting himself on his haunches. "Come here."

She leaned forward and bent her head to meet him halfway, not letting their lips reach their destination just yet. His fingers gripped her thighs in an urgent manner and she scooted down to the edge of the table until her lips  _just_ brushed against his.

Even the ghost of her touch radiated a kind of intoxication that Robin found himself being pulled into. Impatient, he urged forward to finally capture her lips with his, but she pulled away with a giggle. Not letting him touch her, but not quite letting him get away either. Stuck in this agonizing limbo, he growled against her, not even aware of how inhuman he sounded.

"Regina…"

"Robin," she countered.

"I want to…"

"Tell me…"

And there had never been a more unfortunate moment to have his phone ring….

They both jumped in surprise, Robin sighing in exasperation. He saw Regina shut her eyes in what seemed to be disappointment, and he quickly put a hand under her chin to lift her head. "Hey, I won't pick up."

"You should." She opened her eyes back up and the moment was gone. "It's midnight, could be important."

She did have a point; no one would be calling at this time of the night unless they had a good reason. However, that did not make leaving her embrace any easier. Robin gave her thighs one last squeeze before getting up and jogging over to the hallway where the coat hanger stood. His jacket was still a little damp from the rain outside, it'd probably just be dry by the time he went outside again. He fished out his phone from the right pocket before making his way back to the living room and sitting on the couch, right in front of Regina who was still seated on the coffee table. The sight pleased him.

"What is it, August?" Robin picked up his phone, throwing her a playful look. She smiled back at him, both of them more disappointed than they were willing to admit at the interruption.

"I'm sorry for calling this late, were you asleep?" Came the distressed voice from the other end of the line.

"No, it's fine.. I was just," his gaze went over to the forgotten belt thrown carelessly on the ground. "…a little tied up." He could hear Regina snickering. "What's up?"

"You would not believe where I am right now."

"Where?"

"At work."

Robin checked his watch and frowned. "It's midnight… Didn't know you loved working  _this_  much."

"Uhm…" At the other end of line, August tightened his coat around him and scratched his head. "We got a situation."

The older man was also not a big fan of leaving his warm bed to be dragged out to work in the middle of the night. And he wouldn't have lifted a finger if it wasn't an emergency. August, still on the phone, trailed his gaze over to the  _crime scene_  where Killian, a few of his friends that August knew did not go to this school, along with Archie and a security guard stood. He sighed and directed his attention back to his friend, knowing he was his only way out right now.

"It's Killian." The physics teacher spoke. "The security guard caught him and his friends smoking…  _illegal substances_  in school premises."

"He… what?" Robin instantly straightened up. He could tell that he had peeked Regina interest but he quickly put on his best poker face, knowing this time it was the real deal. God knew what would happen if the cold and stoic principal found out about this, who was ironically sitting on the coffee table with her legs spread apart. Robin swallowed.

"You heard me," August spoke. "I called you first cause no one knows how to deal with this kid better that you do and Archie's about to…"

"No, don't let him."

"He's about to call Ms. Mills." August completed his sentence, wincing as the words left his mouth.

"No!"

"Robin, what is it?" Regina frowned and sat up straight. Her eyes which were playful and carefree a second ago was now carried a hint of seriousness with a dash of panic. He could tell that she sensed something was wrong.

"Who's that?" August frowned. There was a distinct echo of a feminine voice at Robin's end of the call which sounded awfully familiar.

"August, don't let Archie do what he's about to do. I'm on my way." Robin warned his friend one last time. The optimist in him knew that he could take care of the situation quietly without alarming Regina and getting the poor boy expelled.

"The principal needs to be informed."

"The principal does not need to-"

"The principal what?" Regina asked in a tone of voice radiating terror.

"Is that Ms Mills?!" August said in a shouting whisper, now that Archie was walking up to him.

When the older man stood behind August, he was too enveloped in his conversation to notice him dial.

"I'm calling the principal." The Earth Science teacher spoke. There were bags under his eyes. He, too, was sleepless and August could swear it was the first time he had seen the man irritated.

"No, wait!" Now this time, August was the one to protest.

However it was too late. Regina's phone rang and it sent shivers down Robin's spine. Since when was her ringtone this loud? He could already see the events unfolding before they even took place. She was going to march into the school, expel their asses one by one and chaos would ensue. Who was left to protect the children from the principal's wrath? Regina's intense gaze found his again and Robin bit his lip.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Is that her ringtone?!" August asked in a hurry. "Is she at your place? Are you two-"

"Not now, August." Robin cut him off and watched as Regina stood up and went to fetch her purse. He then directed his attention back to his friend. "Who are the students exactly?"

"Just Killian, his friends don't go to this school." The older man sighed in disappointment. Killian was a smart kid, why he kept on making decision that affected his future, he had no idea.

"So  _just_ Killian?" Robin inquired, desperately trying to keep his voice down. "We might be able to save his ass if, I don't know, David or Mary Margaret is involved but… just Killian? Are you sure? Look around."

"There are no straight A students hiding in the closet, Robin. It's just Killian."

"Yes, Mr. Hopper?" Regina answered her phone and he looked up to see her walk into the living room before sitting down on the couch next to him.

"Ms. Mills," Archie spoke on the other end of the line and upon hearing him, August thought how much of a kiss ass he was. Must he obey all the God damn rules in existence? "Sorry to bother you so late but we require your presence at school, immediately."

"What's the emergency?"

Even a damn tornado alarm was less of an emergency than this, Robin thought… At least then, they would be able to take refuge in one of the cellars and wait for it to be all over.

He watched as Regina listened to her employee and shock washed over her. Then her face changed from surprise to displeasure and finally she furrowed her brows, her hand curled up into a fist. Robin could see she was slowly filling up with absolute rage that he didn't know how to soothe.

"They did  _what_?"

"Uh-oh, she found out, didn't she?" August spoke. Robin hummed in agreement, not tearing his gaze away from the woman in front of him.

"I'll go find some bullet proof vests for the kids…" August sighed.

"A bulletproof vest won't save them…" Robin swallowed as he watched Regina hang up the phone before standing up. His eyes watched her every move.

He expected yelling, he expected complaining, but hell, he didn't expect absolute and utter silence. Because the only sound that reached his ears belonged to August's steady breathing on the other end of the phone. Her house was deathly quiet.

Regina did not move. At first, her eyes went to the bottles on the floor. For a second, Robin thought she would throw him an irritated remark about ruining her carpet. But instead of opening her mouth, her gaze found him and she threw him one hard look before walking over to her purse again.

When she came back, she threw the car keys on his lap. Her fingers went up to straighten her shirt.

"You're driving."


	22. Chapter 22

The city was devoid of any sign of life. Of course, that did not surprise Robin considering how late in the night it really was and how much snow had piled up across the highways. Driving at this hour -especially at this weather- was a job for the insane and when he quickly peeked at the woman sitting next to him in the car, he just knew he certainly belonged to that category.

He swallowed.

"Should you be going to sort out a misuse of illegal substance whilst completely drunk?"

He immediately regretted his words. This was what adding fuel to the fire must have felt like.

She guarded her silence for a second or two before breathing out ever so slowly as if she was mentally counting down from ten. Robin figured she would be the kind of woman who'd resort to last minute Yoga breathing exercises to calm herself. "Don't."

"Don't what? Don't speak? Don't breathe? Or don't drive?" Yeah... He was incapable of keeping his trap shut.

"Don't give me advice. Don't worry about me.  _Do_  drive." She was harsh with her tone which surprisingly no longer scared him.

"Regina, I'm sorry but I'm not going to sit back and watch your reign of terror on the poor kids. We need to calm you down first and then-"

"And then what, Robin?" she turned to him, eyes fuming with anger. Robin wondered if she were to kill him right there and then, would there be any eye-witnesses? Eh, probably not. "You console me, take care of the situation and we ride to the sunset together with your white horse?"

"You're sitting there and trying to lecture me when you don't even have any underwear on." He remarked, still managing to remain calm. Mainly because now that they had been intimate (with both of them sober-ish during, he might add), he was starting to recognize certain kind of patterns in her action which he came to learn how to handle.

Guilt crossed her features and when she briefly peeked over to her own body, Robin knew he had her.

"You know we left in a hurry…" she defended herself in a weaker voice, hands coming down to straighten her coat. He only smirked. He was a fan of stoic Regina and he also loved how she finally chose to show her vulnerable side of her to him, a side that would remain forever in the quietness of the car and his memories.

"Thank God  _I_  remembered to put a shirt on or else we would have some explaining to do."

She smirked despite herself and he felt proud. Robin turned his eyes back on the bare road that lay before them. The night sucked out all the colors and the world rested in grey.

After a beat, she spoke. "Do something for me, will you?"

He threw a glance at her direction. "Anything."

"Don't appease."

Robin nodded at first, eyes still on the road, grip firm on the steering wheel just to prevent any possible accidents during the storm. Rain drops continued to hit the windows, creating a warm cocoon for them both to sit quietly in.

Pondering further on her words, he frowned and allowed himself to dig deeper. "Don't appease?"

"You know, don't give into Killian."

"When have I ever…"

"Oh, come on." She interrupted him, though she had no intention to start a quarrel. Her tone was final and he knew that her argument was not open for discussion. What she said next consisted of facts, not opinions. "You know how you get. You look into a student's eyes and you immediately begin to soften. Throw in a couple of ' _Pleasee, Mr Locksley_ 's in there and you can let the kids get away with murder."

"I… What.. I never…" He stuttered, not knowing how to react. His mind desperately explored back his past experiences in order to come up with some sort of a memory of him stopping a student from breaking the rules. He fixed his glare on the road, took the right exit and sighed, forcing himself to think.

_Come on, Robin…_

"That's not true," he frowned. "How about the time I sent that kid to detention for using inappropriate language in class?"

Regina brought a hand to her face and sighed, looking out the window. "You should have sent him for his actual crime which was bullying. But you thought he'd get fewer detention hours that way." Then she turned to him with a meaningful look on her face, voice calm as ever. "You were protecting him."

For quarter of a second, Robin thought he caught a glimpse of fondness in Regina's eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"How about the time I warned that girl running in the hallway?" He asked with a proud look as if with that simple act, he had been the hero of the entire school.

"Robin, the girl had been running up and down the damn hallway for fifteen minutes. You only remembered to give her a warning when I came into your line of sight."

The rain got a little heavier and moonlight shone across her face, making her eyes sparkle a deep blue color.

"At least I'm trying." He had no choice but agree because deep down he knew that she was right. He was born a softie and he was going to die a softie. He chuckled at that.

"Well, tonight try harder." She slid down a few inches in her seat, making herself comfortable as her eyes followed the trees appear and disappear from the window. It wasn't a big town they lived in buy it looked especially gorgeous this time of the year. "Good luck to the woman who'll be the mother of your child because she'll need some authority with two kids around the house."

He instantly rolled his eyes, ignoring that the second kid in context was him. "Well… you've got authority."

There was silence in the car which rain had the pleasure of filling. Then, Regina's voice in disbelief followed right suit.

"Oh, no, no, no," she spoke; her voice carried traces of amusement though he swore he could detect the slightest hint of fear. "I don't even want kids."

"You don't?" Now, that was a surprise. "Why not? You'd make a great mom."

And those words… those words that were uttered so carelessly… who would have known that they would be the cause of the hurt that slashed across her face like a whip. He saw her expression change in a matter of seconds and instantly wished he could reach out a hand to comfort her.

She turned to him, with sadness, and a hint of appreciation in her eyes. "I wouldn't."

He didn't question her any further, instead closed the subject. "Alright, alright, I won't  _appease_. Whatever the hell that means."

She threw him a sarcastic look. He ignored her and kept his stare on the road. They were nearing the school anyway.

"But…" he kept going and further ignored the harsh stare she threw in his way. It was funny how after a night of poker, her glares ignited the opposite effect of intimidation. "You should try and be gentle."

"Excuse me?"

"Killian… He is just a kid. He is scared of you, you know."

"As he should," she nodded.

"No, he shouldn't. As teachers, we are supposed to guide and inspire them, not scare them. He looks up to you." He replied, his voice getting softer. He took the left turn and the school building was finally visible.

"He doesn't." She scoffed, as she pulled down the car mirror to check her now wiped off make up as quick as she could while he neared the school.

"He does. I can see it whenever he talks to you. He tries to be on your good side so please, show some effort." They entered the parking lot and Robin could already see August waiting for them. Because of the angry rain, the poor guy had his jacket over his head.

"That's because he doesn't want to get expelled."

"There is more to it than that." Robin parked his car in the spot closest to August. Given that it was the dead of the night, there was not a single car present in the lot except for two which Robin guessed them to belong to August and Archie. "Please, I know there is still a bit of humanity in you left yet."

In the dark, it was possible to see August waiting for them to get out of the car. The poor guy was practically shaking due to cold. A couple of feet behind him stood Archie with three kids next to him, all of them with their winter coats and scarves around their necks, and without a trace of happiness in their features.

"I'll handle it." Regina said as she jumped out of the car before Robin had a chance to turn the ignition off.

He quickly followed behind her after clumsily reaching out for the umbrella in the back seat. The door shut with a sound that died out in the rain and he ran for her before she could make her way to August. Umbrella opened up in mere seconds and protected her already wet hair from the rain drops.

"Glad you could make it!" August was yelling due to rain.

"We need to get inside!" Robin responded. The umbrella tried its best to shield both of them from rain but the wind battled the poor object and made the drops get into their eyes anyway. He squinted and stepped even closer to Regina, tightening the grip on the umbrella and making sure she was staying as dry as she possibly could.

August nodded, looked back and gestured Archie and the kids to come over. Meanwhile Regina, with one hand on Robin's coat, guided them all into the school which she unlocked with her set of keys.

"I'm telling you, the disciplinary board should also have a set of keys in case next time something like this happens." August mumbled as they all made it inside with Archie and the kids following right behind. The Earth Science teacher kept an eye on them, making sure none of them dared to run away.

"There will not be a  _next time,_  Mr. Booth," Regina raised her voice the minute the door closed off behind them and silenced the rain. Her voice echoed in the empty hallway that was illuminated by one single lamp. It seemed as if it was the ghost light of a stage.

Regina's gaze immediately fell upon the three boys, all drenched. Robin recognized Killian all wrapped up in his winter cold, shaking. The boy refused to look up at the both of them. His friends looked equally guilty. They did not attend their school so they had no chance of getting expelled, which was good.

"Look at me." Regina spoke, articulating her words.

Killian swallowed and slowly raised his head. His stare was disoriented and his eyes were glassy. Robin instantly sighed in disappointment.

"How dare you?" The principal took a step forward to the boy who took an instinctive step back. Robin's hand shot up to her arm as he kept his eyes on the exchange.

Thankfully, the physical contact stopped her from taking another step.

"Ms. Mills," Killian started but then stopped. He lowered his gaze in fear immediately after.

"How dare you bring drugs inside the school premises in the dead of the night and get high out of your mind when the radios are issuing tornado warnings? How dare you, Killian?" Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass. Her hands trembled. Robin swallowed as he switched his gaze back and forth between the principal and the student.

August and Archie stood a few steps back and observed. August threw subtle glances at Robin and the latter continued to watch the interaction like a hawk, ready to intervene if he had to.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Get caught?" Regina raised her eyebrows. "This  _will_  have consequences."

The tension rose in the empty hallway. Robin's grip on her arm tightened. He could tell Killian was still high due to the very simple fact that if he had been sober, he would have been noticing the intimate exchange between the two teachers. Instead, he refused to tear his gaze from the ground.

"You dare to run away, acquire drugs, come to school and have four of your teachers leave their houses in the middle of a storm just to come all the way here and lecture you. You have no idea how far you've gone, Killian and I swear to God-"

Her voice got louder and Robin pulled her back, stopping her from trapping the poor boy against the nearest wall.

"Alright, I think that's enough."

Regina turned to him with anger flashing her eyes. "Who asked you to speak?"

"Ms. Mills, please," Killian trembled visibly.

"Killian," Regina took another step towards him, her voice dripping with disgust.

"Hey," Robin cut her off once more, afraid to see what her actions would be next. He had come to find out that she had a hard time controlling herself when she was angry. Rage took over her.

"Shut up," she replied without even bothering to take a look at him.

"I'm not your pet, Regina!"

His words, uttered like a slap in the face, made them all stop dead in their tracks. Regina slowly turned to him with disbelief and shock crossing her features. Her chest rose and sank rapidly as she parted her lips in surprise and watched him. No one dared to say another word.

"We should take this inside." Robin didn't know what came over him but he knew his last words made sense. He could feel Archie and August's stares burning holes on his forehead but he didn't care. He saw Regina nod and before shaking off the excess water on the dark colored umbrella, he followed her into the darkness of the hallway.

She wasn't wearing heels that night. She seemed tiny; however everything about her was anything but tiny. He followed her into the hallway where his classroom was located and watched as she unlocked a random classroom that was the nearest and made her way in. Well, she did have the master key, didn't she?

They both failed to notice the third party following them.

"Do you mind telling me what you think you're doing?" She spoke up right after they made their way into the classroom. Robin turned on the lights so he could finally see her equally drenched figure. Her hair was not as wet but the same thing could not have been said about her coat and the lower parts of her pants.

"I'm stopping you before you actually commit murder." He stepped closer to her, dropping the umbrella sharply on the teacher's desk, wetting the wooden table in the meanwhile.

"You don't get to tell me-"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted them.

They both looked up to see August standing in the doorway. He quietly asked for their permission and upon receiving nods, he closed the door behind him.

Curiosity passed their features as they both observed the man.

"I don't mean to interrupt but," he continued, switching his gaze back and forth between the principal and the English teacher. "How long have you two been sleeping together?"

"We're not actually," Robin started and was quickly followed by Regina.

"What makes you say that?"

"I think we can all agree that hiding won't work anymore. So, answer the question." August insisted, his voice calmer than ever. To be completely honest with himself, Robin was starting to like August's too-calm-for-his-own-good attitude. He threw a side look at Regina and he could tell she was finally easing up too.

"We.. uhm," he started but was quickly interrupted.

"Not long." Regina finally admitted before letting out a long breath and leaning against the teacher's desk.

Robin was taken aback by her sudden confession. Were they even official? What was going on?

"Well, technically speaking we didn't actually-"  _…sleep together yet_ , was what was supposed to follow but it seemed no one allowed him to speak that day.

"The technicalities won't matter. Do you think it's wise?" August asked.

"I believe there is another reason for us being here tonight," Regina frowned and Robin could tell she was desperately trying to dodge the conversation with a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. She gazed past August.

"But this subject is the one that's going to affect us in the long run." August countered and Robin watched as Regina crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

" _Us_?" Regina raised her eyebrows.

"It's no big deal…"

"Is it not, Robin?" August turned to him. He was leaning against the door he had just closed. "It seems I am the only one thinking about the consequences here. What happens if people find out about this?"

Both remained silent but Robin turned to look at Regina who had her eyes shut closed. He searched her face for answers but she refused to meet his gaze. It seemed she knew what was already going to happen and even worse, she had thought about it way before.

"Well, let me tell you." August continued, when both teachers remained silent. "The superintendent will find out about it first. The board will contact him. Then since this is a public school he will contact a representative from the Department of Education."

"I doubt they'd go to extremes." Robin scoffed.

"You doubt it? Robin, this is her first year here. Our last principal got fired because of a harassment suit. Don't you think they aren't following Regina closely? Her sleeping with another teacher would end with an immediate reason for her disposal."

Silence filled the room. Robin gave himself a second or two to process the information. Was he right? Could that happen? Would they really let go of Regina? He slowly opened his eyes and turn to look at her.

She looked down on the ground and refused to meet his eyes. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"You knew?" he questioned her with surprise. He raised his eyebrows and stepped closer to her. "You knew that this would happen?"

She bit her lip and nodded before raising her head and finally meeting his gaze.

"You knew the consequences and you let it happen anyway?"

August spoke. "It was funny when it was just a high school crush but I never would have thought it would blossom into a relationship. I never thought to warn you, I'm sorry."

The Physics teacher brought a hand on his face and looked away. Both men were at a loss of words. Robin watched August for a second then shook his head before turning to face Regina once more.

"You took the risk for me?"

"Robin… I…"

Suddenly, the door swung open and August almost fell down. All three teachers raised their heads in surprise to meet their coworker as August gathered himself and cleared his throat as though absolutely nothing was going on. Robin watched Regina compose herself and the anger was back on her features again. For being interrupted or for their student, he didn't know.

"Archie?" August broke the uncomfortable silence.

The man's gaze switched between the three teachers before finally landing on his boss. "What do you want me to do with Killian?"

"We should…" Robin started but then his eyes got caught in the moving figures behind Archie. Squinting his eyes, he spotted Killian and his friends, standing behind the older teacher with fear present in their eyes. He heard the other two boys snicker. "We should take them home."

"Right," August nodded. It seemed as if the only sensible decision came from the English teacher. "I'll take Killian, Archie you take the other boys."

"We need to contact his parents." Regina said and all the men turned to watch the exasperated look on her face. She had a hand on her forehead as though she wanted to hand her resignation right there and then.

"You can't." Killian murmured and when everyone turned to him, he spoke up. "They're not… uhm actually in the…"

"In the what?"

"Country."

"Oh geez," Robin sighed. "Where are they?"

"You know," Killian started and Robin could tell the boy was disoriented from miles away. He needed to sober up, fast. "They had that work thingy, in the…"

"What?" Regina widened her eyes.

"Italy."

"Italy?!" August asked incredulously.

"And who do you stay with?" Archie stepped closer to the boy, draping an arm around his shoulder and steadying him in the process. He had always been the most sensitive one despite what they said about Robin. He could see the kindness in the man's eyes.

"With me, myself." Killian nodded and a brief smirk crossed his features as if he was actually proud.

"But, you're sixteen?" August frowned and stepped closer to the boy to interrogate him even further as Archie approached the other two boys, asking them about their parents.

"Regina," Robin turned to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "We can't take him to an empty house. Look at him, he's high."

"Well, he should have thought of that before he broke the law. This is not California, Robin." Regina rolled her eyes. Both her hands went up to straighten her coat as she tightened the material around her. His gaze momentarily dropped down to her breasts and tried his best to forget how she wasn't actually wearing any underwear.

"I know that," he swallowed. "He can't even walk straight, how do you expect him to take care of himself?"

"Oh please, I doubt he takes care of himself even when he's sober."

Both adults threw a subtle glance at the boy who was trying to explain where he lived to the Physics teacher with hands gestures.

"When are they coming back?" They both heard August ask.

"To…morrow."

"That's my point." Robin turned back to Regina.

"What do you suggest?" Regina asked, leaning even further against the table.

"We take him home."

"Excuse me?" She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"It's the right thing to do." He stepped closer to her. Lights flickered above them and the storm got stronger outside. He had some convincing to do. "We can't leave him alone."

"I'm not letting him inside my house!"

"Regina," he put a hand on her arm and her gaze instantly flickered down. "I know you're not cruel enough to leave a drugged minor unattended in the middle of a storm."

He saw doubt cross her features so he kept going. "It will just be for one night. He said his parents were coming back tomorrow. We'll take him back home, he'll be asleep until tomorrow afternoon anyway. Then we take him to his parents, have a little chat with them while we're at it."

"I…" Regina's eyes went back and forth between him and the boy. "Fine, but if he throws up, you're cleaning up."

"Yes, m'am." He chuckled and they both turned to Killian with a sigh.

#

There was silence in the car.

Robin drove through the empty streets as Regina stared out the window on the passenger seat with an empty expression. However, Killian, he was leaning forward from the middle of the back seat with a goofy smile on his face.

"Put on your seatbelt," Robin murmured as he made a left.

"Woah, look at those roads…" His eyes widened in surprise as though he was witnessing a civilization for the first time. His gaze was still glassy and when he moved, it was sluggish. But at least he was still excited, Robin would give him that.

"Do as he says." Regina intervened with a semi-calm voice without even turning around to look at him.

Robin watched from the mirror as Killian immediately nodded and leaned back before struggling to put his seat belt on. "How is it that he listens to you but not me?"

"I have authority." Regina smirked and it was the first time she smiled since they left school.

"I do too."

Instead of dignifying him with an answer, Regina scoffed and looked away. Robin bit his lip but kept his eyes on the road. However, seconds later his eyes flickered to the mirror again and saw Killian examining the seat belt buckle very very carefully. "Oh God…"

His reaction made Regina finally turn around with a sigh. Then, she groaned before unbuckling her own seatbelt and reaching over to the backseat.

"Careful," Robin managed to comment as he dodged to the left to avoid her right thigh hitting him in the face. "Thank God there aren't any cops around or they'd have a nice view of your-"

"Buttons!" Killian yelled, interrupting him. "I think there is a button here you need to press Ms. Mills for the seatbelt to-"

"Be quiet, Killian." Regina warned him nonchalantly, as she struggled to put his seatbelt on.

Robin tried his best not to peek to his side and keep his eyes on the road. He swallowed and watched the wiper blades go back and forth. The storm had died down a little but it was still raining.

"All done?" he asked when Regina slid back to her own seat.

"Can we go eat?!" Killian suddenly yelled from the backseat, causing both adults to jump slightly in their seats.

"With him, I doubt it." Regina shook her head.

Robin blew air through his nose, threw one last glance at the highly annoyed woman beside him before taking the next exit for the nearest McDonalds.

#

The car came to a halt at the parking spot and three of them left the vehicle. The discontentment was obvious on the two teachers' faces from a mile away. The weather was cold and Robin had given up on the umbrella. It was drizzling now, which was better compared to the heavy rain that had drenched them an hour ago.

He watched Regina approach the boy and hold him from his shoulders before guiding him inside. He tried to stay oblivious to absolute disgust on Regina's face. Not to the student, but certainly to the place. She eyed the burger joint up and down. Did she eat fast-food? Did she even touch it?

"Order." Regina spoke up once they were in front of the very tired and sleepy cashier. Her tone had surprisingly softened and she was looking more at the boy than the menu.

"I want a hamburger!" Killian exclaimed a bit too loud, causing everyone in the place to stop and turn to look at them. Everyone being; one elderly couple, one guy who looked way too drunk for his own good and a family with kids seated in the corner. Their three kids screamed and Robin made eye contact with the father and he, upon observing Robin's company, gave him an understanding nod. He, in return, just shook his head.

"I think this place has hamburgers?" Regina questioned the cashier.

"This is a McDonalds, m'am." The young boy replied, clearly not impressed.

"Whatever." Regina rolled her eyes before turning to Killian. "Pick something."

Robin's eyes fell upon the woman that had him half naked just mere hours ago, the woman who was sitting on his lap with cards at hand, throwing him daring looks as she sipped her wine and laughed her troubles away. He remembered the same hand that was pulling her coat tight in front of her chest, was trailing down his chest in the warmth of her living room an hour ago.

So she knew all the risks? She was aware of all the risks and she knew she was certainly being watched by the Department of Education before she allowed whatever it was between them to blossom. Suddenly, guilt washed over him and he took a step back. His eyes were still on them, Killian trying to pick something from the menu and Regina watching him closely just in case he slipped and cracked his head open. He was looking at them, but he wasn't really watching, he was distracted. All his past actions danced around his mind, the banter, the dates and the things he had done and said to convince her why this was such a good idea.

Regina was throwing a few bills on the counter as she ushered Killian to one of the empty tables. He blindly followed them, passing by the elderly couple's table.

"What a lovely family you have," suddenly a voice was heard and Robin turned to see the old woman looking up at him with a kind smile. Blue eyes and curly white hair, she looked like she belonged to a page from a storybook. Her husband smiled alongside with her.

Robin was so distracted that he didn't know how to respond. He glanced at Regina and Killian, who were already seated in a booth as Regina tried to unwrap Killian's burger for him. "Thank you," he nodded before making his way over to them.

"Stop kicking the chair," Regina warned Killian as Robin sat down next to her, a bit too close for their own good, reminiscent of their time together. He took the burger away from her hands and unwrapped it for the boy who was seated across from them.

"At least that couple over there thinks that we make a nice family." Robin mumbled before handing the burger to Killian who took it with such hunger that Robin thought he was going to choke with excitement. Well, you did get hungry when you were high.

Regina turned to the elderly couple and squinted her eyes. "Never trust a woman over sixty five without glasses."

"Well, I agree with them." He shrugged before leaning back against his seat. Their thighs were touching under the table.

"Robin, we have an intoxicated student under our care who literally just broke the law, we're at a McDonalds in the dead of night and I don't have any underwear on. Which part of your twisted mind thought that we'd make a nice family in any way?" she replied him with practically a shouting whisper so they wouldn't get anyone else's attention.

He looked around to see everyone minding their own business and Killian happily sipping his diet coke.

"It must be your caring nature." He answered sarcastically and she evaded his gaze with a sigh. "Regina,"

"Hmm?" Her eyes met his own and her gaze instantly softened.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He wished he could shift closer to her, to cup her cheek and ask the question in a way they would make her spill the truth. Instead he had to do with a slight shuffling of his thigh to get her attention. It did.

"Tell you wha-"

"That you were being watched closely. That any kind of error would result in your dismissal. That you risked your job for this."

"Robin, listen to me-" She put a hand on his leg.

"I made you do this, I'm sorry." He covered her hand with his own, unaware of Killian's shocked stare on them both as he struggled to swallow. "If it weren't for me,"

"I knew exactly what I was getting myself into." Regina raised her head and searched for his eyes. With a gentle voice, she continued. "You didn't make me do anything. I was aware of the risks."

"Then, why didn't you tell me?"

The door swung open and a teenage couple walked in, holding hands. Robin's gaze stayed fixated on Regina and he refused to move his eyes not even for a second. However, Regina gazed at the door as if she was welcoming any sort of interruption there was.

"It was my decision." She swallowed. "Wasn't yours to make."

"It should have been  _our_  decision." Robin finally allowed himself to lift his gaze from hers. He watched Killian solely because he didn't know where else to look. The boy's eyes were wide as though he was trying to take it all in and forcing himself to remember though Robin doubted that he could even hear the entirety of the conversation.

"You couldn't have done anything even if I told you." She shrugged and leaned her head back on the booth. "I wanted it too."

He raised his head and turned to look at her once more but she was staring at the ceiling. "You did?"

Her lips curved into a smile. "No one can make me do anything I don't want."

The young couple was done ordering and they made their way to a table that was right in front of them. Robin moved his eyes casually to their direction and watched as their laughter contrasted their desperation. Killian chewed loudly and he could hear Regina exhaling long and hard.

"What do we do now?" He slowly turned to her.

"Nothing," she shrugged and followed his gaze. Her eyes also landed onto the couple and Robin saw the longing in her eyes. Longing for the youth or the freedom of love, he didn't know. "If they find out, then they find out."

"And then what?"

"I don't know, Robin." She replied, voice getting even lower. "I resign?"

"You know I wouldn't allow that." He turned to her in a sharp manner. He was irritated, though he didn't know to whom. There was no one to blame but himself. He had dragged her into this.

"And what are you going to do?" she crossed her legs and smiled at him. "Invite the Head of the Department of Education to your place, have some beer and tell him how much you love me?"

He froze.

" _Love_  you?"

She stopped and parted her lips. Then shook her head briefly before looking away. "…or whatever."

A shiver ran down his spine as he, too, looked away. It was too much. Feelings were the last thing they needed to talk about, especially the feelings he hadn't come clean about yet, not even to himself. "Regina,"

"Please don't come up with a crazy proposition like…"

"We'll hide it."

"And, there it is…" She sighed before letting out a soft chuckle.

"No, wait," Robin turned to her, suddenly the young couple and the intoxicated student was long forgotten. Hope clouded his voice and his eyes sparkles with anticipation. "Why not?"

"Because people are going to find out anyway." She brought a hand to her face. Her eyes still stared ahead, towards the young couple. Killian's loud eating could still be heard in the background.

"Not if we won't let them." He placed a hand on her leg as his eyes searched for hers. He had no idea how they were going to do it but they would find a way.

She scoffed. "That's going to be impossible with this one already knowing." With that, they both turned to Killian.

He sipped his coke in a very loud manner.

"We'll manage," he replied but before he could argue his case any longer, Regina turned to their reckless student.

"Are you quite done?"

Killian nodded enthusiastically and Regina turned to Robin before nodding and urging him to stand up. They left the diner behind to head home in a weather that was getting warmer minute by minute.

"Get him somewhere safe before he can bump into a wall again like he did leaving the diner." Regina closed the door behind them and Robin immediately got a hold of their student before he could wander into the living room unsupervised.

"Whops, not there." Robin's hand found Killian's jacket and he pulled him closer as he watched Regina take off her coat and turn on the lights.

"Is this where you live, Mrs. Mills?" Killian exclaimed, touching the walls.

"It's  _Miss_." Regina sighed before throwing an annoyed look at Robin who in return shrugged before letting out a chuckle.  _Ah, the good, old times…_

"It shouldn't. Should it? Should it, Mr. Locksley?" The boy turned to his teacher, one hand still caressing the walls.

"It's up to Ms. Mills whether to get married or not." It was impossible not to laugh. Every time Killian uttered a word and Regina looked like she wanted to drop everything and run to Vegas, Robin stifled a laugh.

"Indeed it is." Regina nodded before running off to the living room to get rid of the evidence of their time together.

"And maybe it's up to you a little. Right, Mr. Locksley?"

"Huh?"

And with that Killian let go of his grasp before running off to the living room. Robin immediately went after him but it was far too late. He evaded bumping into the boy the last second and came to a halt. Killian stood in front of him with wide eyes. The older man sighed and looked up to the living room.

The room was a mess. He didn't know how much havoc they had wrecked until he actually took a good look at the place. First detail that got his attention was how the coffee table was a foot away from where it was actually supposed to sit. It was pushed back to the point that it wasn't in the center of the room anymore, probably happened when he pushed her on it.

Then there were wine glasses and bottles on the ground. A big stain decorated the carpet and Robin instantly remembered asking for her permission before throwing everything to the ground. His heart skipped a beat. There were playing cards everywhere, scattered around, some of them bent.

From the corner of his eye he saw a bra and panties that he'd asked to keep, behind the coffee table.  _Oops…_  He immediately raised his eyebrows in shock and his gaze found Regina's. Both adults threw each other tentative looks and she acted quickly. She immediately reached for the underwear before making her way to the kitchen.

"Oh my Good," Killian whispered. "What were you guys even doing?"

"That's none of your business." Robin grabbed him by the shoulders once more before guiding him to kitchen where they met Regina. She had done a fine job hiding the bra and panties and now she was dumping the empty wine bottles into the trash when she looked up and threw them a sharp look.

"Where is he going to sleep?"

"Where is he going to sleep?" Killian repeated his teacher's question with a high pitched laugh.

"Oh God, he's high as a kite." Regina rolled her eyes before making her way to the boy and bending a little so they were eye-to-eye. Her next sentence was uttered a bit louder than usual so it would reach its destination. "Killian, do you want some coffee?" Then she lifted her head to look at Robin. "Would that wake him up?"

"He needs a cold shower." Robin replied, putting a hand on his head and ruffling the kid's hair.

Regina's eyes widened. "That'd be your job."

"Why do  _I_  always have to do the dirty work?" Robin groaned before pushing the boy to the direction of the bathroom.

"Because you wanted him here!"

Robin heard Regina yell after him before pushing Killian into the bathroom.

Minutes later they were confined in the tiny space of Regina's bathroom and Robin was trying to find some towels as Killian tried to take his shirt off. Well, the bathroom wasn't that tiny, it was certainly bigger than his. It smelt like lavender and a kind of warm colored flower that Robin couldn't quite put his finger on. Honestly, he was too distracted to even think about it. He opened up the drawers under the sink one by one.

"Don't you live here, Mr. Locksley?" Killian said as he managed to throw the shirt on the tiles after a minute long of struggle. "Not in the bathroom, haha but like… with Ms. Mills."

"No, I don't live with Regin- Ms. Mills." He corrected himself before locating some towels, closing up the drawers and making his way to the still half-dressed boy.

"Why not?" Killian giggled. "You like each other!"

"Take your pants off, Killian." Robin put a hand on his belt and turned his gaze away.  _God_ , his job description did not include undressing a student in his boss' bathroom in the middle of the night. No, it certainly didn't.

"You should live here. Not in the bathroom, I mean." Killian took a hold of his own pants and unzipped them. "You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Robin said and watched him drop his pants. He looked at him, standing in front of him with his Batman boxers and a confused expression; decided that he was  _not_  going to undress him any further. He could very well take a shower with his underwear.

He gazed at the shower mixed with tub that was built into the corner. Well, that had to do. Walking over to it, he adjusted the temperature before struggling to get the younger man in. He felt like taking care of a baby, making sure he didn't trip and crack his skull open. It wasn't an easy task.

However, Killian was indeed standing in the tub. He was laughing to himself, but he was where he was supposed to be.

Alright good, now the hard part.

He first rolled up his sleeves then turned the handle, had the water blast from the shower head and directed the ice cold shower on Killian's torso.

"AAAAHHHH!" Killian let out a piercing scream that was loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. Robin had to flinch and when he did, Killian jumped out of the tub.

"Killian, get back in here!" He yelled, holding the shower head with one hand, making sure the water was still staying in the tub. The last thing he wanted was an angry Regina yelling at him for making a mess out of her bathroom just like he did with the living room.

"No way!" he put both hands on his arms and rubbed his shoulders, desperately trying to warm himself.

"Killian, damn it!" Robin yelled, "Get into the tub!"

"No!"

"Regina!" Did he have any other choice? He was probably going to regret this later on.

"No, not her!" Killian said and lunged towards the door. However, it was too late and upon hearing the footsteps, he ran back to the corner. He was trapped. "Mr. Locksley, please!"

"Killian, come here!"

"I can't!"

"REGINA!"

He yelled even louder, sure that this time it was enough to get her attention. He couldn't drop the shower head and go chasing after Killian. It would wet the whole place.

"Robin?!" She was right out the door.

"I need help in here!"

"What? It's just a shower." She talked from behind the door.

"Not with him! I need help!"

"Is he, at least…"

"He's decent, come in!" Robin threw a very pissed glance at Killian who avoided his eyes and trembled from fear and the cold.

The door swung open and Regina walked in. Her eyes first landed on Robin who held the shower head with one hand and had his other on his hip. He made sure the water stayed in where it was supposed to. The room had no steam whatsoever, the water was  _that_  cold.

He watched as her gaze travelled to the boy in the corner. She widened her eyes to take it all in before letting out a long sigh. "Killian, what are you doing?"

"Saving my life!"

"Oh, for God's sake," Regina wasn't impressed and before he knew it, she was grabbing him by the arm and dragging him back to the tub.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Alright, you hold him," Robin spoke, taking a hold of Killian and pulling him. "I'll wash."

"That's gonna be tough, he doesn't stop moving!" Regina managed to say. His skin was already slippery from water.

Suddenly the water was directed on him and he screamed once more. Robin almost felt sorry for him but he knew he needed to sober up and it seemed as though it was working. Killian screamed one more time and Regina struggled to hold him in place.

Both their arms were wet now but he didn't think Regina minded. His theory was proved thoroughly when Killian made a sudden move to leave the tub and Regina shifted her position, accidently getting herself wet.

"Oh my God," she muttered but didn't stop holding him.

Robin just let out a chuckle. "The look suits you."

"Does it?" she raised her eyebrows. "Maybe I should do the washing and we'll see if the same look suits you too."

"You don't mean that,"

"Don't tempt me." She winked at him. Water was dropping down her hair and the front part of her t-shirt was completely wet. Robin tried not to pay attention to the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. No, it was not the right time.

"So cold!" Killian whined.

"That's kinda the point," Robin replied before reaching down and turning the faucet off.

They took him by the shoulders and Regina guided him to the living room as Robin grabbed his clothes off the bathroom floor. He could smell the brewing pot of coffee.

#

Robin switched off the lights.

It was way past his usual bed time. He struggled to keep his eyes open. His right hand found the smooth surface of the white wall that connected living room to the hallway. Regina had a beautiful house but he still had trouble finding his way around it. He needed experience he didn't have.

From the distance, he heard Killian snore and rolled his eyes.

The storm had finally died down. Streets looked like they would have cars roaming around early morning despite the weekend. The weather preserved its cool but the snow was finally clearing up. Work started on Monday and this time, he was not looking forward to it, not until he sorted their situation through. He was exhausted and more importantly he was worried. Gone was the man who was flirting and laughing with her just hours ago. Instead, his eyes carried the pain and fatigue of the position they were in.

There was also the disappointment of having one of his best students on his boss' couch, heavily intoxicated. Why did that kid seem so keen on destroying his future? Robin feared for what was to become of him.

He heard the sound of water coming from the direction of her bedroom. It had an adjoining bathroom, one that was different from where they both struggled with Killian half an hour ago. The kid had sobered up quickly right after and the black coffee Regina had had prepared for him had also helped. There were no arguments over where he would sleep given Killian had dozed off on the couch minutes after drinking the coffee.

Robin entered her bedroom. His nose instantly picked up a different scent when he crossed the boundaries to her private life; a scent that was deeper, more feminine. He stared ahead at the clean and tidy double bed. His gaze danced around the room, taking in the cream colored sheets, drapes and walls. The sound of water came loud and clear from the door on his left.

He closed the bedroom door behind him, took a few steps and knocked on the bathroom door. Without waiting for a reply, he walked in.

"I'm taking a shower." Regina's voice came behind the shower curtain though she didn't sound reserved. Her tone sounded more informative than annoyed.

"Nothing I haven't seen." Robin chuckled before shutting the door so the warmth could stay in. He closed the toilet lid and sat on it. His voice sounded worn out, overworked.

"There is still plenty you haven't seen yet." She laughed.

"Yet?" He looked up. The room was steamy, hot.

"If you behave," she spoke after a beat. "How's Killian?"

"Out cold." He leaned back and looked around, allowing his gaze to roam over the white tiles. The light shined bright over them, ready to reveal all imperfections that hid in the room. However in here, there didn't seem to be any. Everything was pristine, dainty and ladylike. The light pink towels had lace embroidered on them and her white tooth brush stood in front of the mirror like a prized possession. He sometimes wondered if she was raised as a princess.

"No wonder." She replied, snapping him out of his day dream. "And what did you do with the… hallucinogenic?"

"August confiscated the weed." Robin explained, breathing in the floral scent. He rubbed his temples a little before raising his head. "Why, did you want to smoke it yourself?"

"Oh, don't remind me." Her voice echoed in the bathroom, a little amused.

The man inside of him yearned to swing the curtain open and face what was behind him. But the gentleman and more importantly, the teacher inside him dropped his head to his hands before breaking the beat of silence. "I'll drive him home tomorrow."

"That's very kind of you." She cleared her throat. Suddenly the faucet was turned off and the room was buried into silence, devoid of any sound of water. "Could you hand me my towel?"

Robin hummed before forcing himself to stand up. His eyes searched for the towel before spotting it hanging behind the door. It was the color of vanilla, big enough to cover her body but small enough to leave whoever gazed upon her curious.

He grabbed the soft fabric before coming to stand in front of the shower. There was only a curtain separating him from her nakedness. He looked down at his fingers gripping the towel and his eyes found the white screen between them.

Without thinking twice, he reached over and swung it open.

Regina had a hand on the wall and she gasped when the obstacle between them was removed. Her eyes found him, incredulous. He didn't stop to think of his actions; instead he watched her face, making sure not to let his gaze drop down to her naked body. He used every bit of self-control left within him as he glared at her wide eyes, her dry hair that was up in a bun and her wet neck that had water dripping down on it to her chest.

She swallowed, hard but did not dare to speak. Her hand left the cold tiles and reached out to take the towel from his hands. "Th-thank you."

He nodded.

Without breaking their eye contact, she stepped out of the shower and came to stand in front of him. Water dripped down onto the rug. He could tell that she was challenging him. Regina was not the kind of woman who stood and watched as a man dared to reveal her naked figure to himself. Her expression had transformed from surprised to one of audacity.

He knew there were inches between his chest and her breasts but instead he played her game. He kept his gaze straight on hers and she smiled before finally looking down and wrapping the towel around her.

He felt as if he had won a game he didn't even know he was playing.

Letting out a breath, he also dropped his gaze to now her towel clad body before opening the door and stepping out to her bedroom. He heard her call after him. "What are you going to do?"

"Sleep?" He turned to her. She was a vision in her tiny towel in the whiteness of her bathroom. His fingers found the buttons on his shirt.

"No," she walked out of the bathroom and headed for her wardrobe. "About uhm…" she looked up at him. He saw her troubled features. She swallowed and pointed her finger at herself and then him. "…this."

"Us?" He questioned her and she nodded before quickly turning back to her wardrobe. It was funny how after all this time she was still timid about what was going on between them.

He sighed and took his shirt off. He knew he had come up with a crazy proposition back in the fast food joint but now that they were there in the confines of her bedroom, everything seemed more real. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep, he did not know. But when he unzipped his jeans, he knew that the situation certainly seemed more difficult than it was before.

He was aware that she wanted an answer but instead he folded his clothes before placing them on a chair by the window and walking over to the bed. His eyes found her figure again as he watched her dress herself.

It was only when he was in her bed that he spoke. "Do you want to break it off?"

She turned to him, now clad in black underwear and a t-shirt. When their eyes met, she instantly evaded her gaze before taking off the hairband and letting her hair cascade down her shoulders. It never did pass her shoulders; he figured she didn't like long hair.

"No."

He sat up on the bed with his back against the headboard and gazed at her but she had her back against him once more. With her barely audible declaration, he could feel something within himself come alive once more.

She closed her wardrobe and made her way to the bed before sliding herself into the covers. He did not think twice. His hands found her and he pulled her close until her back hit his chest. He encircled his arms around her before placing both his hands on her lap and feeling her relax against him. "Then we'll hide it."

"Is that the only idea you can come up with?" She chuckled before tilting her head up to him.

He buried his nose in her hair. "Do you have a better one?"

"No," she shrugged. "How do we keep  _him_  quiet?"

They both knew who  _him_  was. Killian still snored in the living room, presumably unaware of everything that had taken place.

"He listens to you." Robin smiled. Lights were dimmed. Her hair seemed blacker than ever. The scent of her body wash reached his nostrils and he reached out to pull the covers on them.

"He does what I say," she nodded before settling further in his embrace. "But he listens to  _you_."

Robin sighed before leaning his head back against the headboard and staring at the ceiling. He would talk to Killian. He just needed him to forget everything he had ever witnessed.

He would make him understand and ask for his help. Though, he doubted the boy could do much.


	23. Chapter 23

"Psst."

No one heard him.

"Pssstt!"

Everyone still minded their own business.

"PPSSTTTT!"

"This is a cafeteria, Killian! Literally, everyone is loud!" David finally yelled, dropping his peanut butter sandwich on the table before him.

"Calm down, mate! What's gotten you so pissy this mornin'?" Killian questioned before settling next to his friend. The cafeteria was indeed loud but Killian was too busy to join them. No, he watched his friends around the table, all having lunch –but he was way too busy to deal with insignificant things like food.

"It's 1 pm… and I'm not _pissy_." David said in a pissy voice. Mary Margaret reached over and put a comforting hand on her boyfriend's arm. The couple smiled at each other and Gold tried not to throw up.

"Sure," Killian scoffed and winked at Emma from across the lunch table who in return rolled her eyes and took a sip from her drink. "But alas, I did not come here for you. I have important business."

"Is it lunch?" Ruby snorted from next to Emma and her and the blonde blurted into laughter.

"No," He replied, a bit too annoyed. "My friends, two teachers have entrusted me with their great secret."

"Are you sure it's not two janitors entrusting you with the place they keep the trash?" Emma raised her eyebrows and dared him. Everyone around them snickered.

"Funny." Killian looked up at her. "But, no."

"What is it, Killian?"

He raised his head, looked around to see if anyone was watching. The two teachers who guarded the cafeteria seemed to mind their own business. He nodded before looking back to his friends again. The information was too important to risk. "Mr. Locksley and Ms. Mills are together."

"Ah, not this shit again…" Emma rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious!" He yelled, a bit too loud. Then realizing his mistake, he lowered his voice again. "I've seen it."

"You've seen it?!" Mary Margaret jumped at the subject, the romance inside of her getting the best of her.

"Don't encourage him." David turned to his girlfriend.

"No, I'm not lying!" Killian replied and everyone's attention was back on him again. "I was in Ms. Mills house Saturday night."

"Oh my God, seriously?!" Ruby widened her eyes. "What was it like?"

"It was… clean. But that's not the point."

"What were you doing in there?" Emma raised her eyebrows suspiciously. She knew that there couldn't be any good reason for Killian to be at the principal's house on a Saturday evening. It was bad as it was when he was in her _office_ on a weekday.

"I… might have gotten caught."

"Doing what?" David asked.

"Something illegal. Anyways, that's none of your business!" He tried his best to change the subject.

"What did you do?" Mary Margaret urged him to continue.

"Me and the boys were.. you know, smoking at school." Killian finally replied -though he did not know why. He had come here to recruit them into his master plan. Why was he blurting all his secrets?

"I can't believe you!" Emma suddenly exclaimed, loud enough to have the whole cafeteria turn to look at her. "Why would you do that?!"

"Emma, wait!" Killian put a hand on her wrist. "It's not what you think!"

"Then what is it?"

"I went to Ms. Mills' place. Mr. Locksley was there, I heard them talk." He quickly explained himself, afraid that Emma might leave any second. "And to top it all off…"

"What?" Gold spoke from the other end of the table. He was also listening in -but he was trying his best not to show it.

"Mr. Locksley had a talk with me the next day. He asked me to forget everything I'd ever heard!"

"And what did you hear?" David was now finally curious. His sandwich was long forgotten.

"They were talking about how Ms. Mills was being watched closely and how if the Department of Education to find out, she'd be fired!"

Suddenly everyone around the table gasped. Wide eyes roamed around the table as his friends looked at Killian for confirmation. Was it really true? Would they really fire Ms Mills?

"I mean it!" Killian replied. "I heard them talk about how they should hide their relationship before they gave me a shower."

"They what?" Gold frowned.

"Not important." He replied, suddenly desperate to change the subject. "Long story short, they are having an affair, and they need to hide it."

There was silence around the table. David looked back at his peanut butter sandwich, suddenly having no desire to eat it. Mary Margaret's hand was frozen on his arm, as she too also watched the same sandwich. Emma was at a loss of words. Gold chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Wow!" Ruby broke the silence. "So they're together! Oh my God! That's adorable!"

"Yeah yeah," Killian shook his head. "But Ms. Mills might get fired."

"They wouldn't fire her!" Mary Margaret chimed in, incredulous. She found it hard to believe that they would fire the best physics teacher on earth!

"They would. Didn't they fire the principal before her?" Gold answered her question. "I never thought I'd say this, but I believe Killian is correct."

"So what does that mean?" Emma turned to him. "Are we going to what? Protect them?"

"Yes!" Killian and David replied at the same time and Killian was surprised to see them on the same team.

"You guys gotta be kidding me!" Ruby laughed.

"I'm afraid we're not." He replied. He had grown closer to Mr. Locksley who happened to be his favorite teacher and the last thing he wanted was to see him get hurt. "We can help them."

"And how?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I have a plan." Killian replied with a proud expression. Of course he did. He had come up with a plan on Sunday when Mr. Locksley drove him back to his parents' house, much to his dismay.

"Why am I not surprised?" Emma groaned. "Must you always insist on getting us in trouble?"

"Hey, this won't get us in trouble!" Killian exclaimed. It hurt when his girlfriend refused to listen to him.

"Well, I'm willing to listen." David turned to the group with a hopeful look in his eyes.

#

Three heads appeared at the end of the hallway and in a matter of seconds, they disappeared back into the shadows.

Those three heads belonged to Killian, Emma and David.

"Can't believe we're doing this," Emma rolled her eyes and leaned against the lockers. "More importantly, can't believe I'm helping you."

"You know it's for a good cause." Killian stepped closer to her with a loving look in his eyes.

"Alright so, how do we do this?" David asked, interrupting their moment.

"We find her first."

Belle French was a good woman. She had been working in the school for four years as a biology teacher. Her students adored her, and she never once had gotten in trouble with the principal. The students begged their counselors to be in her class which was known to be the best. She was a fair and nice teacher, and never once had she gotten any complaints.

She also maintained good relationships with her coworkers. So she wasn't surprised when three of her students came marching in her classroom during a lunch break, requesting her assistance on behalf of another teacher.

"Mr. Locksley really needs you!" Killian yelled. She knew him to be the notorious one but when he threw her that puppy-dog eye look with his two friends nodding along behind him, she found she had no choice but to follow him.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" She asked while getting up from her desk. Her class wasn't due to start for another 20 minutes.

"Yeah, Mr. Locksley just sent us to come get you." David backed up his friend. "He said it was really important!"

"Oh, I see," Belle muttered before nodding and following the students.

#

Robin sat alone in his classroom, going through some tests. He had given them out just last week, a review sheet about Oedipus Rex for his afternoon class and he was sacrificing this lunch break to grade them. His glasses rested on his nose and a half eaten sandwich sat peacefully next to his Arizona mug. He let out a sigh and turned the page, with a pen in hand.

Suddenly the door to his classroom burst open and the ornament on the door that had been left from Christmas jingled loudly. He looked up to see none other than the biology teacher walk into the room with worry in her eyes.

"Robin?"

"Belle? What's wrong?" He removed his reading glasses, taking a good look at his coworker who was already panting.

"I don't know, the students told me you were asking for me." She took a couple of steps into the room, the sound of her heels echoing off the walls.

"What students?" he frowned and looked behind her, failing to see anyone.

"Well, Killian and,-"

Suddenly the door was shut closed and both teachers jumped in surprise. Robin stared ahead, with wide eyes as Belle turned around to also stare at the wooden door with confusion clouding her features. Silence filled the room and it was broken when Robin pushed his chair back and stood up.

"What's the meaning behind all this?"

"I don't… I don't know." Belle replied, frowning. She walked to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. "Hello?"

Robin followed her lead and crossed over to the other end of the room and looked through the tiny glass on the door. Failing to spot anything, he knocked on the door. "Is anyone there?"

His hands went to the doorknob and he tried forcing it a couple of minutes before realizing it was indeed locked. Upon this realization, he tried to force the door open with more strength now than ever. He could also beginning to feel himself get angry. When his advances failed, he turned to her. "Who were the students that brought you here?"

"Well," Belle pulled back. "Killian, David and Emma."

"Killian?!" Robin exclaimed. "I can't believe this…"

"Why, what's wrong?"

"I'm sure he has a plan." Robin scoffed before retreating. He had no chance of getting the door open without breaking it -and he wasn't sure if Regina would like that.

"What plan, Robin? What is this?" Belle asked, looking at him for answer.

It was within her right to be worried. After all, she hadn't actually been there for Killian's attempts to get him and Regina together; the bathroom, the snake, the broom closet, the flowers… His attempts had taught Robin that if he was inconvenienced in any way, it was Killian's fault.

However, he had trouble understanding why he was stuck in his classroom with Belle French of all people. He would have thought it was Regina Killian wanted him to be with. So why was Belle there?

"It's Killian." Robin shrugged before leaning against a desk. "I don't know why he did it but I know it's him.

"What?" Belle was astonished. "We gotta talk to the principal about it!"

"I'm sure she'll be here soon." Robin rolled his eyes. Killian's plan always included Regina.

But, he knew one thing. That boy had already had his ass in detention.

The next ten minutes were spent with lock picking. Robin, not wanting to give up, had grabbed a hair pin from Belle and tried his chances on the lock to no avail. Well, at least the failed attempts had provided him with something to do or else he knew he'd go crazy stuck in his own classroom.

He sat in front of the door and picked, long minute after minute. His hands wouldn't stop trying. He was only interrupted when Belle decided some conversation would do them both some good.

"So, you and the principal, huh?"

"Who told you that?" Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked up from the lock he was trying to pick. Was it him or did she seem awfully pale?

"No one," she shrugged. She was seated on one of the desks, looking up at the ceiling with her arms around her. "I can see it."

"You can?" he widened his eyes in surprise. Here he thought him and Regina were being secretive… If Belle could see it then who else could?

"Also, you do spend a lot of time in her office." She forced a chuckle and leaned back, crossing and then uncrossing her legs.

Robin looked at the woman before him, one hand still on the door knob. Pale complexion, nervous behavior and desperate attempts to distract herself by asking him about his love life. "Belle, I'm sorry but are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she brought a hand to her face. "I'm just a bit… I just don't like being locked in."

"You have claustrophobia?"

"I guess," her leg started twitching and Robin stood up in worry. "I guess you could say that, yeah."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just… distract me."

She was practically curled up in the desk, looking at everywhere else besides him. Her eyes shut momentarily only to be opened back up again with panic as she tried to keep her limbs under control. Her face was white. She bit her bottom lip and crossed her legs once more.

"Tell me, when did you start dating Ms. Mills?" she asked, with a shaky voice.

"Uhm…sure," Robin was too focused on the woman before him to actually give her the details of his personal life but he found himself making his way to the desk right next to Belle's. "Not long. It all sort happened when Killian and… Wait a minute."

He sat down and looked at Belle with wide eyes. "I know why they locked us in here!"

"And why's that?" She tried to seem interested but she was dealing more with the consequences than the reason.

"It's Killian! That's what he did to me and Regina too." Robin leaned back with a sigh. "He wanted us to be together then, and now he knows about the board. He's trying to solve this in his own way by trapping us in here together, so that no one will be suspicious about our relationship."

There was silence in the room for a minute spent with both adults looking straight at the wall before them. Robin felt like he had just solved a Rubik's cube. He always hated those buggers when he was a kid.

"Wow, that's crazy." Belle said, trying to keep her voice under control.

Robin turned to the woman seated on the desk next to his. Immediately worry clouded his features. "Belle, you're sweating."

"Am I?"

"And shaking." He put a hand on the back of the chair. "We gotta get you out of here."

"That won't happen until the janitor comes in."

"Which will be any second now, don't worry." Without a second thought he put a hand on her shoulder.

That's when she started shaking. She shut her eyes and hid her face in her hands before leaning against the desk in front of her. Robin could hear her sobbing under her palms and instinctively started smoothing his hand up and down her arm.

Then, because he was Robin Locksley and he couldn't resist a woman weeping, he pulled her desk closer and took the shaking woman in his arms.

"Shh, it's fine." He soothed her and let her cry into his chest, mentally vowing to give Killian a piece of his mind the minute they were rescued. He could feel himself internally panicking as he pondered on various ways to calm someone with claustrophobia. He must have had read about this situation somewhere, if he could just remember it…

Suddenly the door burst open.

"Robin, oh my God, who did th-"

Regina stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the scene before her.

He looked up from the weeping woman in his arms to the one whose face was void of tears. Instead he saw the traces of anger, shock, disappointment and… betrayal. His fingertips let go of Belle's blouse, however his arms continued to encircle her small frame, unsure of what to do.

"Ms. Mills?!" Belle spoke up, suddenly cutting the silent exchange like a knife.

Both adults were back to life in an instant, Regina's eyes finally leaving his to find hers.

"I'm glad you are okay, Ms. French."

He watched her subtle attempt to take a step forward but stopped herself the last minute, instead opting to straighten her jacket. Her voice was an octave lower, and he searched for meaning in it.

"Regina, Belle was just," a desperate attempt to explain the situation failed when she held out her hand.

"It's fine," she swallowed. "That's uhm… fine. All that matters now is both of you are okay." She turned to the door and gazed at Sydney, Leroy the janitor and Archie as they all watched her with expectant eyes. "Do you know who's responsible for this?"

Should he?

"It was…"

"We don't know." He stated and thus concluded the conversation, ignoring Belle's curious gaze on him. At that point his arms were also retracting from her body, his gaze focused solely on the boss.

Panic filled his lungs with every breath he took but he refused to acknowledge it. It was neither the place nor the time. The room had gone quiet as the staring match continued between the couple. Leroy nudged Sydney with his elbow and winked, but the assistant principal shook his head.

"Well then," she willingly ended their eye contact before checking her watch. "We have five minutes until the 5th period starts."

"Right." He nodded and stood up before turning to look at Belle. "You okay?"

She swiped away her tears and the color was back on her face already. "Yeah, thank you."

"Don't mention it." He didn't need to look at Regina to know that her eyes were watching the exchange very closely.

There was another beat of silence as he refused to return his gaze back to her. From fear or determination, he did not know. However, seconds later he heard her heels clack on the marble floor so when he finally looked up, he watched her walk out the door, leaving a lavender scent behind. Her perfume hit him like a truck.

Shit.

#

It was easy to say that he was distracted for the rest of the day.

He taught his classes but whenever he took a break, whenever he let his students work on an assignment and got a chance to sit back down on his desk, he pondered on what had taken place. His relationship with Regina was on the rocks, as it always had been. Maintaining it between the two of them was tough as it was but now that they had additional factors, things have gotten even more difficult.

Their primary objective was to keep this hidden so that she could keep her job. But from the looks of it, there wasn't anything left to keep hidden since Regina now refused to talk to him after what she had witnessed. Well, the good news was; along with the principal, a couple of more teachers and students had also witnessed the event.

Was there even anything to hide? He had been seen in a locked classroom with Belle French in his arms. He knew this school, and his students. Him and Regina were old news now. Belle French was the new target. He and his relationship with the biology teacher was the new topic of gossip.

Then it dawned on him.

Ooh…

"Good evening, Mr. Locksley!"

He was snapped out of his trance. Was it the end of class already? He had been so busy staring into the distance that he had forgotten to watch over his students. Now, everyone was turning their assignments in and walking out the door.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." He yelled out to the parting students, his mind still elsewhere. He watched them slowly vacate the classroom with their yelling and joking. They looked so carefree. Unlike them, Robin had a million problems swarming around in his head.

Hallways were filled with teenagers now, all of them slowly but steadily making their way out of the school. He gathered the assignments on his desk and watched them leave through the open door of his classroom.

Minutes later, the crowd dissipated and the hallways were getting quieter once more. Practically all the teachers he knew preferred the quietness and solitude, taking a deep breath as they watched the students leave. He was not one of those. He liked the crowd. He liked the presence of his students.

However the silence terminated when he heard the distinct sound of heels on marble floor. He knew that rhythm anywhere.

Without a second of doubt, he jumped out of his seat.

"Regina!"

He yelled out, his voice echoing in the empty hallway. Her steps faltered, but they picked up their rhythm once more.

"It's Ms. Mills to you!" She replied, walking down the hallway. He saw her make her way to his classroom, though he knew it was not her ultimate destination. His classroom was the gas station she stopped by whenever she had the extra time. If she needed him, she would send a student.

"Since when?" He yelled, standing at the threshold. He watched her come closer with every second.

"This afternoon." She walked past him, the breeze she left behind pleasantly hitting him in the face. She never ceased to smell nice even if they were nearing the end of the day.

"Regina, come on! That was nothing!" He yelled after her.

"Doesn't concern me."

"REGINA!"

She stopped with her back to him. He swallowed. Maybe he shouldn't have yelled that loud…

She slowly turned to him and he felt as though he was a servant about to be thrown in a cage of lions.

"You don't get to yell at me."

She was just a few feet away but it was too far. He needed her close for what he was about to say.

"Can we talk?"

"I don't think we-"

"I insist."

She sighed and rolled her eyes before straightening her jacket. Then she ran a hand through her hair and made her way back over to him.

He stood aside so she could walk into his classroom. Having her inside was a privilege not a lot of teachers got to have. So, tentatively, he closed the door behind them.

"Hope I'm not keeping you from anything…" He spoke once the door was shut closed. Regina had her back to him, observing the classroom, taking in her surroundings.

"Only from life…" She muttered under her breath.

"Hilarious." He replied.

She turned to him then, eyebrows raised, eyes wide with curiosity and anger. Her expression reminded him of their beginning, and it was enough to have his heart skipping a beat. "You wanted to talk? So talk."

"What you have seen…" He cleared his throat and took a step towards her. "…was nothing."

"I bet." She smirked, but it wasn't a pleasant one.

"We were locked in, Belle was claus-"

"Oh, is it Belle now?" She crossed her arms.

" _Miss. French_ was claustrophobic. She needed help."

"And you thought being _on_ her would help?"

"I wasn't on-" He stopped. He had every intention to explain to her how this was all caused by Killian, how he had come to the realization that Killian was just trying to help. But watching her watch him, with an irritated expression and flared nostrils, he got pissed.

What was the point of giving this relationship everything if he was going to be doubted with every step? "You are jealous."

Nope, those were not the words he should have said. On the contrary; those were the words he knew would trigger Regina.

She scoffed. "You're flattering yourself."

"Am I?" He took another step towards her. "You saw me with her, and because we're a thing now-"

"We're not a…"

"You got furious! You got possessive!" There was fire in his eyes now that he took another step towards her. Taunting her was the right way. That was the only way he could get a reaction out of her. Maybe what he was doing was not sane but it was too late. His heart was already beating fast. "Tell me Regina, exactly how jealous are you?"

"Look, _Robin_ ," His name rolled of her tongue as it was an insult. "Just because you're a weak, sniffling disappointment of a human being, doesn't mean I am too. I have standards and you are way below them."

Her words humiliated him but her body language spoke a thousand other words. There was fire in her eyes.

"Is that why you were in such hurry to unzip my pants and suck my cock?"

"How dare you!" She pushed him.

"You started this, Regina! If we have sank this low, you only have yourself to blame!" He was not afraid to raise his voice.

Disgusting words were exchanged. However everything about their interaction was on fire, alive with a heavy beating pulse. Suddenly it was hot all around.

"You are out of line!" It seemed she was also not afraid to raise her voice. Her cheeks were flushed and she pushed her chest forward, not willing to back down. If he took a step towards her, she took one towards him, never back.

"That might be…" He chuckled then his gaze shifted down to her lips. He watched her lick them and his smiled widened. "…but you like it."

"I never did." Her words cut him like glass.

He stepped forwards once more, his gaze boring into hers as he lowered his voice to respond; "Liar."

Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and with that he tugged at her jacket and crashed their lips together.

She moaned into him and before he could deepen the kiss, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down with her. They stumbled backward and hit a student table.

"I hate you." She laughed against his lips and moaned louder when he dipped his head to find the sensitive spot on her neck, sucking it. His hands tightened around her waist and he felt her sit on the desk. He encouraged her, lifting her thighs and pushing her further onto the desk.

"You like this." He breathed out, mouth traveling lower to her cleavage. Suddenly he had lost all ability to think straight. He had lost control of his limbs and now his hand was fumbling with the button of her satin jacket. Her head tilted back and she moaned, and Robin corrected his previous statement to; "You love this."

He felt his pants tighten and his heartbeat climb. He was having difficulty containing himself and her hands untucking his shirt from his pants and sneaking inside to rub against his stomach was not helping.

"God, don't ever stop…" She managed to choke out before his lips found hers again. He placed both hands around her buttocks and pulled her closer so her legs were around his waist. Her skirt was already hiked up around her thighs, and his crotch nestling between her legs make them both groan with impatience.

"I'll get the door."

She placed both hands on the table and lifted herself up a few inches, just to give her more room to move her hips and rub herself against him .

Then he took a step back, panting. "Let me lock the door," he repeated, one eye on the entrance. Then he turned to look at her and saw her with her legs wide open, sitting on the table with half of her shirt buttons undone.

"Leave it." She was out of breath.

He knew her by now. He knew she liked the thrill, the danger, the risk of getting caught. But, this was something they couldn't play games with. If they were to get caught… "Regina,"

"I said… leave it."

He would have disobeyed her order, he really would have, but at that exact moment, she tugged at her shirt, unbuttoning the rest of its buttons and exposing her abdomen to him.

He forgot that the door even existed. In a matter of seconds, he was between her legs, lifting her up and carrying her to his own desk, an area lot more secure and steady than what she was previously sitting on.

He kicked his chair aside and pushed her on the table with a loud crash. Half the objects on the desk fell to the ground and he cleared the rest of the desk with the swipe of his hand, the tests his students had just turned in flew across the room like leaves of a tree during a hurricane.

He pushed her back until her right heel was on the desk, her left leg in air. Robin turned to look at her black high heels resting on his desk and smirked before getting down on his knees.

"What are you.." She had difficulty speaking. "What are you... doing?"

"I like you way better when you don't order me around." He responded, pushing her skirt back and running his hands down her bare legs.

"I said, what are you-"

"Ssh!" He bit her inner thigh and looked up to her eyes before tugging at her underwear. She gasped and lifted her lips so he could slide the black garment down her smooth legs. Leaning back, he grabbed her ankle, bringing her legs closer together just enough to slip off her panties. He wasted no time after it was off, not paying close attention to how it still dangled from her other ankle. Her heel rested firmly on the desk, not giving it a chance to slide off just yet.

She was bared to him when she opened her legs back up again. His stroked her thighs up and down before placing another kiss on her inner thigh, this time closer to her center. She groaned in impatience.

"Robin… just-"

"You are very demanding." He whispered.

"You are very annoying," she countered, supporting her weight upon her hands on the table as she stared down at him. "Don't make me wait."

"You don't shut up, do you?"

"I will if you can just- Ahh…" She threw her head back and let out a moan when his lips enclosed around her clit and he began sucking, lifting her one leg even higher into the air.

The sounds she was making were absolutely out of this world. Her voice was delicious, deep and rich like a glass of a newly brewed whiskey. It turned him on, encouraged him to lick her wetness cleaning before moving lower to pushing his tongue into her entrance.

"Ah.. just.. inside…"

He did the opposite of what he was told and moved up to direct his attention back to her clit again.

"Fuck you…"

"In a minute." He chuckled and kept sucking, eliciting delicious moans out of her. She brought her leg down, completely involuntarily, and the heel of her stiletto rested on his back.

Then she was bringing a hand down to tug at his shirt, wanting more, needing more, urging him to move on and serve the main course.

He would have argued against it, kept going, not just out of spite but of wanting to see her come in his mouth. But his erection was twitching in his boxers and he figured he could always worship her later.

So he stood up, hands circling around her thighs to bring her closer. Once he did, she crashed their lips together and her hands moved lower to unbuckle his belt.

"Turn me around…" She breathed against his lips and bit down on his lower lip, unzipping his pants.

"No, let me just…"

"Don't make me repeat myself." Her lips left his and she lifted his chin so she could bite and suck his neck all the way down to his collarbone. "You are too soft. I like it rough."

Well, he didn't need to be told twice.

He pulled her down to stand with him on the ground and she came willingly, with a sly smile. He put another peck on her lips and turned her around, pushing her back against the desk. She bent over to the table and Robin allowed himself to appreciate the moment, as he ran his hand down her back.

His other hand was taking his cock out as he pushed her skirt back up again, revealing her bare bottom. He sucked in a breath and bit down on his lower lip. She hissed when he teased her, bringing his tip right on her entrance, rubbing and stroking her with it, but not really entering.

She was soaking wet, coating him with it. Her scent was tempting and it took all he had in him not to kneel back down again and eat her up like there was no tomorrow. But instead she writhed under his hand, urging him to continue.

In one swift move, he entered her, eliciting a loud groan from her.

"God!" She moaned. "That feels nice…"

It really did. She was warm, tight and inviting. He felt intoxicated, blind to everything else around him as he sucked in a deep breath and pulled back, hitting her once more.

Both of them moaned this time and he realized he had to quicken his pace or they were both going to die from denial. So he did. He started sliding in and out of her and watched her claw the desk. She was supporting herself on her elbows and he leaned over to push her hair aside and bite her neck.

"Regina…" He whispered against her ear.

"You need to… be… faster." She managed to let out and closed her eyes, feeling every bit of him moving inside. He watched her close her eyes and he straightened his back, to get a good view of him penetrating her. Her thighs were silky smooth and writhed under him, her hips buckled every time he quickened his pace. She arched her back to give him better access.

Most of their clothes were still intact, both of them too caught up in the moment to realize. Robin was lost in her. He wanted more of her, more of what she was willing to offer. He groaned as a familiar heat spread deep in his stomach and his hand found her hair, , clenching into a fist and tugging the strands in his grasp.

She then let out a deeper moan and raised one of her legs up onto the table. The minute she did, she changed the angle and screamed out when he hit her hidden spot.

"You are.. ah, at the-" She couldn't continue. She was too out of breath and he felt her twitch under him.

The sight was delicious to watch. Her flexibility amazed him and he started getting faster and harder, giving her what she was craving. He felt himself beginning to tighten and see stars. He was close, but his main focus relied solely on her. His release lay in hers and he sneaked one hand down to her clit, rubbing it, teasing her and at the same time, lifting her hips up a little so he would hit that spot that made her cry his name.

"Ssh," He couldn't help but to warn her, as he quickly glanced at the unlocked door, because even though they were at the ends of ecstasy, they _were_ still at school.

"I'm.. I'm about to- Deeper please.."

He chuckled and gave her what she wanted, entering her deeper, faster as his fingers danced around her soaking wet clit.

It took seconds, merely seconds. She threw her head back and let out a long moan. Her fist hit the table over and over again and her hips buckled underneath him. He held her steady, and then let himself go.

He clenched his jaw and gave her one last forceful thrust before feeling himself explode inside her. He gave it another thrust, to fully empty himself out, gaze focused solely on her. He felt numb all over and his heart was pounding in his chest. Drops of sweat made their way down to the collar of his shirt.

"Shit…" Regina was the shirt to speak.

Robin closed his eyes and slid out of her, giving it a second before tucking himself back into his boxers. Too tired to zip himself back up, he put a hand on the edge of the desk, letting out a deep breath.

"Indeed…" He whispered and swallowed. He needed water. His throat was parched.

Lights flickered over them and Regina straightened her back, pushing her skirt back down so it covered her nakedness. Unable to dress herself, she turned around and leaned back against the table, facing him.

Both of them were out of breath.

"Uhm…" She put a hand on her temple.

"You okay?" He asked, now that he was slowly but surely composing himself.

"Uh-uh." She nodded. "No one walked in so that's good."

"Your idea…" He chuckled and swiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve.

"Couldn't help myself…"

He looked at her, watched her flushed cheeks, disheveled hair and her post orgasm bliss. "It's nice to see you not so in control."

"Depends on your definition of nice."

He slowly zipped his pants back up and looked down on the ground, spotting her underwear. He picked it up and handed it to her with a smirk. "You might need this. If I keep it, I will start a collection."

She paused, looked at the garment in his hand then on the floor. Then she frowned. "Not before washing." She grabbed it from his hand.

"Yeah…" He let his gaze fall down on his chest. Her bra was exposed, also black. The shirt was still unbuttoned and it showcased her flat stomach. Not being able to stop himself, he touched her upper abdomen, letting his fingers move to her side, exploring her skin.

Her gaze followed his fingers and she giggled. It was music to his ears. "I thought we were done."

"Us? Never."

She swatted his hand away and started buttoning her shirt back up. "Later."

"Yes, m'am." He laughed and tucked his shirt back into his pants. "So, what are you doing after?"

"Taking my carpet to the dry cleaners." She threw him a knowing look.

"May I accompany you?" The school was nearly empty now and no one would mind them leaving together.

"Aren't your parents expecting you?"

"Oh… That." He had completely forgotten about his parents. Staying with Regina over the weekend, getting home late on Sunday night and waking up early on Monday to get to work, Robin felt as though he hadn't seen his parents for days even though they were supposedly staying with him. Suddenly he felt guilty and wondered what his mother was doing.

"It's fine," Regina replied, once she was done buttoning her shirt. She ran her fingers through her hair. "You go to them, I'll take care of it."

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded, tucked the panties in her jacket pocket and walked around the table, heading for the door. "I'll see you later."

"Regina?" He called after her.

"Hmm?"

"It was the kids' plan."

"What was?"

"Me and Belle... Miss French." He also walked around the table and slipped both hands in his pockets. "It was a plan to start new gossip. So no one would suspect us."

"So that-"

"So that you wouldn't lose your job." He nodded.

Regina's lips parted with shock as she started at him with wide eyes. She swallowed. "Killian?"

"Don't punish him." Robin shrugged. "It worked. A couple of teachers and some students saw it, not to mention Leroy who will probably blabbed it to whole school the minute he walked out the door."

Regina watched him with a stunned expression as she straightened her jacket. She nodded and then suddenly, her lips curved into a smile. "Unless anyone has heard… this."

"Yeah…" He smirked. "That."

"We need to start being more careful."

"Absolutely."

"Come by my office tomorrow," She nodded, opening the door. "We'll discuss."

"Sure… I'll _come_ by." He winked at her, suddenly feeling playful.

"Robin." She wasn't amused.

"Right..." He put his hands in his pockets, clearing his throat and watching her leave before shouting after her; "See you later."

His gaze fell down onto his desk and the mess they had made on the floor. He couldn't help but blush and let out a low chuckle upon spotting the faint scratch marks on the wooden table.

He took a step forward to inspect them from up close.


End file.
